Stalk in the Name of Love
by DainoChild
Summary: After the Team Plasma thing, Black's disillusioned. Leaving the Sages to White, Cheren and Bianca, he tracks down N whilst simultaneously struggling with his new-found feelings for N and the sneaking suspicion that Ghetsis' up to something AGAIN. Black/N.
1. Dreams

_Hi, my name is Daino and I finished Pokémon Black just last week cos I'm slow. So now I'm writing PokéFics. And I'm nervous. And this chapter's so emo. But Isshushipping is wonderful._

_Some things about my head-canon (because I know some people like to know right away):_

_- I use the game-verse with certain elements of PokéSpec mixed in. (Mostly personality traits.)_

_- The Dex Holders aren't actually named after colours, except for Red, Green, and maybe Blue. Everybody just thinks Red and Green are so cool they want a 'colour codename' to go with their PokéDex. (This is to excuse myself from using the name Hilbert.)_

_- Black and White are twins. Which means either they both start with the same Pokémon, or one of them gets Emolga (cos I don't know, Pikachu's the only non-Grass/Fire/Water starter so that makes a bit of sense? Maybe?)_

_- All of this is spelled out in the fic. I'm being quite boring but Pokémon has so many canons. It's the nerves. Nerves make me babble._

_Please, go on. And I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

><p><strong>Dreams<strong>

A week and a half had passed since Black gave up on his dreams.

"_Black! You said you have a dream… That dream… Make it come true! Make your wonderful dream a reality, and it will become your truth! Black! If anyone can, it's you! Well, then… Farewell!"_

It was strange to receive life advice from an enemy, and it was strange how deeply it had wormed its way into Black's mind and heart. Then again, everything about Team Plasma and the result ordeal had been strange.

Black hadn't known how to react to any of it; the Gym Leaders pretty much told him how, and he just went with it. It had been easier to go along with what they said than actually decipher what the hell N had been on about, and it was all on his way to the Pokémon League. He'd thought about it long enough to determine that no, Pokémon were not prisoners in need of liberation, and yes, he did want to stop Team Plasma's overall baffling plot. In the time since N flew off, Black had come to realise that maybe if it had just been N's rapid rants instead of the combination of his and every other Team Plasma member's, the whole idea would have made more sense. The idiots couldn't keep their sinister cover-plan straight.

And in the time since N had left, Black had started to feel guilty. Sure, he'd saved the world from imprisonment by a psychotic and extremely creepy old man and his man-child son, but the look on N's face when his father started gloating about his upbringing was absolutely heart wrenching. Black couldn't get it out of his mind.

"_The moment when someone loses all hope… I really do love to watch that moment_."

Ghetsis was a creep. He was such a creep that Black thought it would be better to have no parents at all than to be subjected to him.

He hoped somebody else had raised N — those girls who healed his Pokémon, maybe. Or even the ninja, they were less creepy than Ghetsis, and they were _ninjas_.

"_You said you had a dream_…"

That _had _been true. Black had had a dream, one that he shared with White because twins share absolutely everything. They'd heard about Red, who single-handedly brought down Team Rocket, and Gold, who also brought down Team Rocket, and Crystal, who was chosen by legendary Pokémon, and Ruby and Sapphire, and Diamond and Pearl, and basically all the PokéDex holders ever. They'd heard all about them, and wanted to be just like them; travelling the world kicking arse and saving people right and left, with a colour for a name.

"Anything's better than Hilda and Hilbert," White said, and it was true. They'd even gone to Professor Juniper and requested to know what their PokeDex Holder codenames would be when they were ten and six years too young. She'd stared at them blankly, shrugged, glanced around, and then said Black and White when she'd spotted a picture on the wall.

They started using the names immediately, and everyone agreed it was an improvement.

Then they set out on their adventure, deciding to race and see who'd reach the Elite Four first. Black was certain that if it hadn't been for Team Plasma, if N hadn't decided Black would be his 'special' friend and rival, White would've beaten him to it.

N was weird, and Black knew he shouldn't feel so bad. N _had_ tried to destroy the world.

He shouldn't have been so stirred by N's remark, shouldn't have been locked in his room in the middle of some ridiculous existential crisis.

Black understood why Red was rumoured to live atop a frozen mountain, why Gold never stopped travelling, why Crystal, Sapphire, Ruby, Diamond, Pearl, all the others, threw aside their infamous Pokémon Master identities and were probably struggling to live as normal people. It had nothing to do with modesty or fear of failure to outdo one's self, and everything to do with sucker-punched by reality so hard that everybody looked like monsters.

And _that_ was why Black was still in his bedroom a week and a half later.

"_Make your wonderful dream a reality_."

That was why Black didn't have a '_wonderful dream_' any more. He had sought the truth, he'd fought for it, he'd forced other people to see it too, and it sucked. Dreams would only come true in the most twisted of ways, people were cruel and selfish, and it was too hard to believe there could be good in a world where a father would raise his son to be the ultimate puppet and _gloat_ about it.

It didn't matter how much else Black had seen in his travels. All it came back to was —

"_He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart._"

— what a sick twisted freak Ghetsis was, and how being absolutely terrible to everyone, especially his own _son_, had led him so close to fulfilling his sinister dream.

There was no justice.

There was no fairness.

There was no good, and there was no evil.

And Black couldn't bring himself to dream again.

Dreaming was believing there was better, and it was going to happen. Black knew he was in a dark pit, and that White would burst in and drag him outside, where Cheren would sneer in concern and Bianca would plead to know how he was feeling. They'd drag him around until he could dream enough to stay somewhat motivated.

"_If anyone can, it's you!_"

But none of them would believe in him the same way N did. Which really was kind of messed up, but so was trusting someone enough to put everything you've ever known on the line.

That, or N was so delusional he'd thought he couldn't lose even after having lost every battle they ever had. It was just as likely, or so Black assumed. He didn't actually _know_.

Basically, that was the circle of thoughts going through Black's mind in the week and a half since he'd destroyed Team Plasma, watched N fly away, and given up on his dreams. It was conflicted, it was irritating, and if White weren't so worried she'd be asking if they were sure Black wasn't the girl.

And none of it would get the hell out of his head.

In the morning, Black drifted down to breakfast (he had to keep _some_ sense of routine) to find he now had two identical mothers. One of them pulled her disguise away to reveal a highly attractive man.

"_I am a globe-trotting elite of the International Police. My name… ah, no, I shall inform you of my codename only. My codename, it is Looker. It is how I am called!_"

He was clearly foreign, and he clearly thought Black gave a damn.

Looker asked Black to help him track down the Seven Sages. The idea of having anything else to do with Plasma made Black sick to his stomach, but he said yes and was rewarded with a fishing rod. Looker freely admitted it was a peculiar gift.

"I'll help too," White suddenly declared. "Maybe I didn't bring down Team Plasma, but I do have the badges and —"

"Hoho, the more the merrier it is, yes?"

Looker left, and White sent him that look they'd exchange whenever they were trying not to laugh at somebody else's expense — the same look they'd exchange when they met N.

People didn't seem funny any more, so Black looked away.

They ate breakfast, and as Mum was clearing away, White dragged Black to the corridor and whispered, "You know that Looker guy's gonna try to arrest N next, right?"

"Yeah," Black replied, though that hadn't crossed his mind. "So what? N deserves it."

"Probably, but you've been in this really moody funk ever since he ditched. Can't really blame you, the whole story is a bit…" White pulled a face. "Just, leave the Sages to me, Bianca and Cheren. It'll be awhile before the Elite Four's up and running again, anyway, so we'll have to kill time. We'll get them."

"And what, stay in my room?" Black snorted. "No thanks."

"Of course not. You've been in there for too long."

"Then…?"

White's grin was unnervingly toothy. "You go after N."

Something overwhelmed Black in that instant. Ideas of where N would go, how far Zekrom might be able to carry him before needing to rest, wondering how little N would do to push his 'friend'…

"Fine," Black said, coolly as he could. "But only because you're so insistent."

White snorted.

"_Make your wonderful dream a reality, and it will become your truth!_"

* * *

><p><em>I hope you enjoyed or were at least vaguely intrigued by this chapter. Establishing, thou art a cruel bitch.<em>

_The next chapter actually has, gasp — humour!_

_Feedback would be lovely, please. (:_


	2. Vanishing

_I'm so thrilled with the strong response to the last chapter! You guys flatter me so._

_This chapter might actually make you laugh. I know I've been cracking up at one line continuously and have dubbed it the best line I've ever written. It features several Kanto Gym Leaders. So expect spoilers for pretty much all game generations._

_Also, warning for BROCK. It's nothing personal Brock, the anime just made you _so damn creepy_. And a thanks to my friend whispersilent cos a line of Brock's dialogue was actually intended for an IM conversation with her, then she challenged me to work it into the story. I think it's pretty blatant, but there you go._

_If the Brock doesn't scare you, please, read on!_

* * *

><p><strong>Vanishing<strong>

Quickly, Black checked out the laws for entry into Kanto. As was to be expected, his Trainer license was ID enough to allow him passage onto a plane from Mistralton City to Vermillion City. From there, it would be easy to check the rest of Kanto and move on to Johto and from there… well, Black wasn't a fan of the cold, so he'd head for Hoenn.

He didn't need to worry about packing his bag; he was a Trainer, it was never unpacked. What he did need to worry about were his Pokémon; he could have six on hand, and he wasn't sure whether or not the Kanto PCs would connect with the Unovan ones. He didn't want to have to replace a Pokémon he'd raised for months with Reshiram, but he knew he wouldn't be able to find Zekrom and therefore N without her. (Was Reshiram even a girl? It looked like one.) So he'd talked to his Pokémon and ended up putting Stoutland in the box with the promise of trying to take her out again when he arrived in Vermillion. After all, Alder got away with carrying nine Pokémon. So long as Black stuck to the maximum-of-six-different-Pokémon-used-in-battle law, who would even know?

To cover his tracks, Black set out with White, Cheren and Bianca, and they all went straight to Mistralton City under the guise of N's mathematical fixation meaning he probably really liked planes (He probably did, but not as much as he'd like flying on the back of a 'PokéFriend').

"Keep me updated, all right?" White demanded at the boarding gate.

"Yeah, yeah," Black sighed. "One of you'd better be Champion by the time I get back. Then we'll battle."

"I'll do it," Cheren replied. "It would be my pleasure to humiliatingly defeat Alder."

"Not if I get there first, which I will," White scoffed.

"Oh, please, you've been at a disadvantage since the moment I chose Snivy."

"And yet I still manage to kick your arse!"

"They never stop," Bianca sighed with an eye-roll. "Hey, let me know if you see a Squirtle?"

Black smiled. "I'll do one better and catch you one, if you promise to look after those two."

"Deal!" Bianca threw her arms around him. "You're the best, Black!"

Thirteen hours later, Black was having his Pokémon examined at immigration. It was the first time he'd sent out Reshiram since the battles with N and Ghetsis, and it looked far too regal, beautiful, and overall wonderful to be in any way related to Black — even when it had to curl itself up in an uncomfortable way to fit in the room.

"What do you call that?" the officer asked, keeping his eyes locked on Reshiram's head.

"Reshiram," Black quietly replied. "Can I call it back? It's pretty damn big."

The officer turned back to his computer. "Sure. How's that spelt?"

Black told him, replacing Reshiram's PokéBall at his belt. "Can I go?"

"I'll tell you when you can. Be patient."

He picked up the phone, dialled a number, and turned away to mutter no doubt about some strange Unovan Pokémon he'd never heard of that wasn't in his database.

Black had tried to do things the right way, but it was taking too long. So he glanced around and dashed. When the officer turned back, he dumbly said, "He vanished. What. He just — vanished."

It was impossible to escape the salty sea air, and Black liked it. Vermillion wasn't anywhere near as big as Castelia or Nimbasa, but it was nice and people on the way to the PokéCentre kept saying hello. He didn't have any trouble getting Stoutland back, so he slipped Reshiram's PokéBall into his bag before starting to ask if anyone had seen someone about this tall (he'd reach about a head taller than himself) with green hair about this long (and then down to his hip) and he may have been seen with a huge black dragon.

No one had, so Black went back to wandering around the city. When he spotted the Gym, he thought, '_Now there's a lead_'. Or maybe it was just that he was a Trainer and gathering Gym Badges made sense. But N was a Trainer too, albeit a reluctant and extremely pretentious one, and he must have collected all the Unova Badges to defeat the Elite Four and Alder.

It was a lightning based gym, so Seismitoad made short work of it. After defeating the Gym Leader, who ranted about combining forces with his electric Pokémon to fly planes during the war. Black couldn't care less, but the Gym Leader rants were a traditional part of battle.

"That's great," Black said as he accepted his badge and TM without even looking at them. "Has someone else from Unova battled you here?"

Lt. Surge laughed. "Kid, you're not the first. Not even close."

"I meant recently," Black corrected with a sigh. "Green hair. Probably with a huge black dragon Pokémon. Anyone like that?"

Surge shook his head. "I'll keep my eyes open, kid."

Black headed to Saffron, but the Gym Leader there hadn't seen N either, or been particularly keen to talk. Misty in Cerulean was much more friendly and made quite a few flattering remarks about Black reminding her of Red, but at the same time Misty in Cerulean was far _too_ friendly and Black quite literally ran away. In a state of panic, he called White.

"Misty just tried to sex me," Black spluttered the second she picked up the X-transceiver.

White groaned. "Blaaaack, it's three in the morning, can't your sexuality crisis wait?"

"But she's like — thirty!"

"Black. Please."

"_But she's like thirty_!"

Growling, White pushed back her hair and said, "You're gay for N."

"…what."

"I'm hanging up."

"I'm not gay!" Black shouted. "She's just thirty!"

White actually laughed at him. "You're gay for N. Cheren thinks so too, right Cheren?"

"Without a doubt," Cheren's voice came, as casually infuriating as it would be in the daytime. "There's probably an elegant series of equations for that."

"Shut the hell up!"

"I agree," Bianca piped up. "Now leave us alone. Please."

"Yeah. Hanging up. Bye. You're gay for N. Bye."

White must have turned her X-transceiver off, as Black couldn't call her back and, with a heavy stream of swears, made his way to Pewter City. It was a rock-type Gym, and well handled by Samurott.

"Green hair?" Brock repeated. "Yeah, 'S COOL BRAH."

"…huh?"

"I was beaten about a week ago by someone with green hair from Unova," Brock replied, eyes still closed. "Didn't say his name, but he liked my Onix a lot."

"…liked your _what_."

"My Onix, I breed Onix."

"Oh. Right. Yeah, that sounds like who I'm looking for."

"I'm not sure where he headed off to, he just vanished."

"Sounds like him," Black repeated.

Brock nodded. "Yep, I sure like breeding."

"…okay, I'm gonna go now."

"I'll keep an eye out for him," Brock promised.

"I'd rather you keep your eyes off him," Black bitterly muttered.

As Black walked away, he heard Brock mutter, "What a weird kid."

"I'M SIXTEEN!" Black shouted.

While Black wasn't so convinced that the world was terrible, pointless and cruel in every way imaginable any more, his feelings of bitterness hadn't just vanished. They'd only grown smaller relative to how many people in Kanto would call him over and give him free stuff, including food and shelter when Pokémon Centres were miles away.

Black wondered how it would be making N feel. Would he be threatened? Would he be pleased to realise Ghetsis was in no way a reflection of a humanity? From the sound of things, N had learned that PokéBalls weren't evil. Definitely progress.

To save time, Black dashed through a tunnel full of Digletts, then headed back up past the airport towards Lavender Town. He'd heard about a sinister graveyard once being there and had a funny feeling N may picket the tearing down of the building, though it had happened some ten years ago.

But all he got was a feeling of strong unease that quickened his pace. By nightfall, he was in Celadon. The whole city was so green that Black was sure even if N was there, he wouldn't have been able to spot him.

That made him far sadder than it should have, especially knowing Erica was the Leader of the Celadon Gym. He'd always had a thing for Erica, and okay, she was older than Misty now, but shouldn't he have cared to _some_ extent?

Yet, Black didn't. He just went to the PokéCentre and fell asleep right away. When he woke up, he considered calling White (it would be the safe time, she'd be making Cheren pay for her and Bianca's lunches then deliberately ordering the most expensive things) but didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being _right_.

So Black took his frustration out by completely thrashing Erica's Gym with Simisear, because he should have been attracted to her and thus been unwilling to go all out and ended up almost losing due to chivalry, but all of his feelings like that had vanished. He hadn't thrashed N, but he'd come damn close to losing whilst trying his best, and that was far more impressive than a coy woman in a kimono who reeked of too many flowers.

Black didn't know what N smelt like. N would appear, rant as quickly as possible, and then vanish. Perhaps N didn't understand the social protocols of bullshitting, humouring, pretending to give a damn when you just want something out of it.

Erica said, "Green hair… that sounds lovely. I'm afraid I've not seen anyone like that, though."

And Black quickly left for Fuchsia by bike, surfed on Samurott to the rebuild Cinnabar, and across to Pallet Town before he heard anything of N. Red's mother (he knew it was her because of the eyes) took one look at him and said, "Come stay with me. Rest your Pokémon."

Black had a million questions. Had Red broken, too? Had he spent weeks hiding in his bedroom? Did Red ever leave Mt Silver? But she looked weary, and Black was too, so the urge to ask just vanished.

"Thanks," Black said, and that was it until the next morning, when he asked her over breakfast if she'd seen anybody with green hair lately.

"Green? Green's in Viridian, dear, though I can't say I know how he does his hair…"

"No, green as in the colour. The person I'm looking for is called N."

She sighed and shook her head. "Calling a child N, now really…"

Black found that pretty rich coming from someone who named her son after his eye colour, but that was probably his new found need to be protective of N.

"Yes, he was here," she finally said. "It was raining when he came, and he didn't want to put his Pokémon away for some reason, well, so we set him up in the Professor's lab. Slept curled up right beside that great dragon, believe it or not."

Black's heart was pounding. Green hair was one rarity, but a great dragon was another all together. "Did — did he say anything?"

"Nothing much," Red's mother replied. "Talked a lot to the Professor, very dry science stuff, not of very much interest to a spirited Trainer like you, dear."

Black managed to suppress the laugh. What, exactly, about him was spirited he didn't know, but he knew he wanted those pancakes so he tried to pull off a modest nod.

"He put his Pokémon into a Ball after that, then set off to take on the Kanto Gym Challenge," she continued. "That was, oh…"

"Three months ago?" Black guessed.

"About that, yes. I asked him when he'd be going to Johto, Red's always looking for good challengers, only the best of the best for him, you should consider going up Mt Silver to see him too, but N, bless him, he said he wanted to get all the Johto badges too. Didn't say a thing about facing the Elite Four, a shame really, I'm sure Gold would be so happy to see that rare dragon he wouldn't mind it if he lost."

There was just something about mothers and babbling.

"Okay," Black muttered. "So I might see him at the Viridian Gym…"

Black thanked her and dashed off. It wasn't until he was half-way to Viridian that he realised he had not only missed an opportunity to meet _the_ Professor Oak, but that _Red's mother_ had told him to go battle Red. As in, the ultimate and best Pokémon Trainer of all time ever.

He had to call White and squee in the most manly manner possible, then quickly hang up before she mentioned N.

Seeing Green's hair in person, Black could understand the confusion Red's mother had experienced. It was perfectly visible from the front of the Gym, appeared lethal, and was shockingly awesome, especially after having to spin around the Gym Maze to see it up close.

Or maybe that was the dizziness.

"Yo!" Green said. "Saw you battling my Trainers. Pretty stylish, kid."

"They just kept coming," Black replied. "I'm not after the Badge. I'm looking for someone. With hair that's green."

"Yeah, I saw him," Green said with a smirk.

Black's heart soared. "Did he say anything about where he was headed?"

Green shrugged, and Black found it quite mocking. "I dunno… say, why don't you battle me to find out?"

Inwardly, Black was overwhelmed with excitement. He was going to fight _Green Oak_. Outwardly, Black sighed like this was a bother. "Fine."

Green was incredible; his Pokémon would start his commands before he was done making them. Green fell Pokémon after Pokémon, until he had two left and Black only had one. Desperate not to lose, Black decided he needed to take a risk. So he sent out Reshiram.

"What's _that_?" Green immediately said. His eyes locked on Reshiram's tail. "Oh, a Fire/Dragon."

"Yeah, Reshiram," Black said, casually as he could.

"Like that other guy's Electric/Dragon," Green observed.

"…yeah?"

Green snorted. "Fags."

"Like you're one to talk!" Black shouted. "Reshiram, Dr—!"

To Black's surprise, Reshiram had already used Dragon Pulse on Green's Arcanine. He tried to cover up his awe, but he couldn't. Not even Samurott could do that, and they'd been together for almost a year now.

"Shit," Green said. He sent out Machamp, but with one Extrasensory was all it took to take it down. "Damn. Can't believe I lost to you. Looked so sure for a minute there."

"…yeah," Black agreed. Hesitantly, he reached out and scratched Reshiram's neck. The dragon _cooed_. "So, about —"

"Your boyfriend? He hung out with me and Gramps for a few days months ago," Green replied, dismissive. "Here's the Earth Badge."

"_Not-my-boyfriend_," Black hissed. He took the badge and shoved it into his pocket without looking at it. "And I guess you spent a while studying Zekrom?"

"That's right."

"…and N just let you do that…?"

Green snickered. "His name was N?"

Black rolled his eyes. "What did he say about his plans? Red's mother said he wasn't heading for the Pokémon League."

"That's right," Green replied. "He said he wanted to bond with his Pokémon, not become famous or whatever. Damn weirdo, I say."

Black couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. So he's just collecting the Badges, then?"

"Seems to be the case."

"And you haven't battled him yet?"

"Nope."

Black nodded slowly, then asked, "Why's Red up on Mt Silver?"

Green shrugged. "He likes snow."

"…that's it?"

"Pretty much."

"He wasn't… disillusioned by having to stop Team Rocket on his own?"

Green glared. "He wasn't alone. He just got all the credit. Typical Red… storming in after me, taking the credit for everything… and the fame."

"But you're the ultimate Trainer," Black pointed out. "And, he really just likes the snow? He's not angry at the world?"

Like the smug bitch he was, Green raised a single eyebrow. "That was ten years ago. Yeah, Red's not the most social thing. So what? He likes snow, so he's on Mt Silver. It's not like he never comes down."

"…oh."

"I heard about Team Plasma," Green matter-of-factly said. "We were all laughing about it here. You're the kid who stopped them?"

Black nodded.

"Don't get smug. There's no way you did it without help. Stop acting like a misguided martyr, you just dealt the final blows."

Stunned, Black nodded again.

"Get outta my sight."

"…thanks," Black said, and he meant it.

It was true, wasn't it? The Gym Leaders fought off the Seven Sages. Alder tried his best to beat N. Cheren and White fought grunts with him the whole way, and even N had helped him by constantly healing his Pokémon. Any disillusionment vanished, and instead, Black felt like a jerk.

Wandering around Kanto looking for N was too much trouble. Black decided he'd find the route connecting New Bark Town to Indigo Plateau, near Tohjo Falls. N would have a much harder time vanishing that way.

After setting up camp (or, taking off his bag and sitting against a tree), Black sent out Reshiram. It (She? He?) watched him with enormous blue eyes, before sitting back and starting to preen its feathers like a bird.

"Hi," Black lamely said.

Reshiram gave him a feather. It was the size of Black's forearm.

"Thanks," he said, holding it tightly. "Erm. Can you… hear Zekrom, or anything?"

Reshiram shook its head, gestured to its PokéBall with a wing, and went back to preening.

"Oh, not when it's in its Ball?"

For understanding, Black was rewarded with another feather.

"Guess we'll be here for a while, then."

Reshiram settled down on the ground and laid its head in Black's lap. Smiling, he scratched under its chin before starting to run his fingers through its long trail of white hair.

"Sorry I was scared of you," he murmured.

Reshiram nudged Black's other hand, so he started scratching the top of Reshiram's head with that one, too. Reshiram _purred_.

Instantly, all fear and hesitation vanished. Black hadn't known dragons could purr. It seemed ridiculous to be afraid or even hesitant of a purring dragon.

Black was starting to think that if his past self were to meet his present self, he wouldn't be able to recognise himself.

Now if only he could keep N from vanishing…

* * *

><p><em>You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?<em>

_The next chapter will probably take longer; I've only written about three pages, and I'm also working on a kink meme fill that can pretty much be summed up as PokéTangled ("N, N, for liberation, let down your hair!") and developing an idea for the Pokémon Big Bang over on LiveJournal. __So at least I'm busy with the fandom, right?_

_Please let me know what you thought!_


	3. Starting Over

_Hi again!_

_Thanks for your reviews and support! Oh, and I don't know how this slipped my mind last time, but my dear non-member reviews! I meant to give you special mentions and you know, reply in-fic after the introductory author's note._

_...and I don't have anything to say in introduction, SO:_

_To Theygotstyle: YOU HAVE STYLE, MY DARLING. I'm glad you're enjoying my sense of humour, especially Black and Cheren's snarkiness. I appreciate your enthusiastic support so much! :HEART: Watch out for Brock, though._

_And to Julia: You are the one who is lovely. Black's dreams often involve N. ;D_

_READ ON. I'm sure you'll all be eager to see N._

* * *

><p>It took three weeks, in which time Black became more familiar with Route 26 than he was with any other place in the world, except his house back in Nuvema. He knew which trees the Spearow were protective of, and which ones had Pidgeys he could use to exploit the never-ending Spearow-Pidgey turf wars if he needed it, but most importantly which ones just had Hoot-Hoots. He let his Pokémon wander around freely, just made them promise to drag N over if they happened to see him. Reshiram enjoyed flying around and freaking out random Johto Trainers on their way to the Pokémon League. Some would be so spooked out by the sight of a Pokémon they didn't know they'd turn right around. Other would try to catch Reshiram, only to have their PokéBalls melted. It was pretty damn funny, so Black just let it happen.<p>

When Reshiram stopped mid-torment and soared back to his side, Black knew something was up. With a growl, it nuzzled Black's back until he was walking forward.

"What is it?" Black asked. "Come on, calm down."

But Reshiram only growled louder and shoved him harder.

Black was shoved a few hundred metres up a path before he got it. Up ahead, with very definitely green hair, was N.

For a long time, they just stared at each other.

"Hi," Black said, dazed. He didn't really believe it was N.

"Hello," N replied, sounding just as surprised as Black. For N, that was really something. N's eyes (Black realised they were blue for the first time) locked on Reshiram, and he smiled slightly. "Hello to you too, Reshiram. It was an honour to lose to you."

Reshiram nudged him again, so Black felt that he had to walk over to N, pause to give him a moment to run away (N didn't), stand on the tips of his toes, and kiss N frantically.

N didn't kiss back, which was awkward enough, except when Black pulled away he was just staring. Staring the same as he had been before. Sheepish, Black took a step back.

"I've been looking for you," Black lamely said. "Ever since you left. Well. No, a week and a half after."

"Why were you doing that?" N's voice was softer, slower, calmer.

Something about that was unnerving. "This man called Looker turned up asking for my help tracking down the Seven Sages and —"

"So you came to arrest me?"

"No!" Black cried. "No, my sister's taking care of that. She told me to find you so, I did."

"Oh," N said, pausing to consider. "And you kissed me so…"

Black tried not to get too flustered. "Yeah."

"…so we're friends now."

"Aha. Yeah. Something like that." Black stared at the ground and wondered if N knew anything at all about potentially-maybe-a-bit-like-love. He had to know about at least sex, he'd grown up with Pokémon. "…anyway," Black declared, because his thoughts were heading towards a slippery slope of no return. "Looker's probably gonna come after you, and I wanna make sure he doesn't."

"So tell him I'm dead." N's tone was so calm and casual it made Black shiver. "Or, assuming he's still seeking the Sages, which seems quite likely as they are extremely well acquainted with sneaking around Unova to avoid counter-protests and violent ruffians such as yourself, I have a head-start of approximately four months and nine thousand miles, or fourteen and a half thousand kilometres. True, it is approximately half a day by plane to reach Kanto, but you'll no doubt agree that it takes some time for blood circulation to return to normal after extended periods at that altitude, something I didn't experience due to flying on Zekrom. And although in Unova I may have quite distinct characteristics, here it's not at all bizarre to encounter someone with fluorescent blue, pink, or yellow hair, which does tend to stick in one's memory more than green. And while this Looker may be a trained professional, he's not the Hero of Truth with the Legendary Pokémon linked to my own, he doesn't know me nearly as well as you do as we've never met and hopefully won't, and it took _you_ this long to track me down, so I would find it safe to suggest that he will not find me so long as I keep moving. I'd even say it would be a bit like trying to catch up to a drifting object in space."

"Right…did you just, calculate that in your head or…?"

"I had allowed it some thought before," N replied.

"Uh-huh… and you can't catch up to drifting object in space…?"

"Not with the current technology at hand, no. There's nothing at all like wind in space, and nothing to encounter to cause a stop, so once an object runs out of its initial fuel it will just drift for —"

"Yeah, okay, I got it."

"So you see that your concern is ridiculous. All I need to do is keep moving."

Somehow, Black had thought that finding out he had been a puppet to his father's schemes all along would make N slightly less opinionated. Apparently not.

"Except this isn't space," Black pointed out. "And you're not some space-junk. Neither are your Pokémon. You're gonna have to stop at some point."

"Of course, by which stage there will hopefully be enough distance between myself and this Looker to briefly allow it."

Black sighed. "You can't run for the rest of your life. That's dumb."

"I didn't plan on it. Just for the rest of Looker's life, I suppose. How old did he look?"

"Forty."

N held out a hand in front of his face and pressed a finger from his other hand against it and started moving his finger like it was pen and paper. "And was he from Unova or somewhere around here?"

"I don't think either."

"Ah, so life expectancy is out… Retirement age is about sixty, but he's a police officer so a lot could lead him to an earlier or later retirement…" N muttered. "So it will be fifteen to twenty-five years."

"I guess or —"

"Thank you, Black," N said, smiling. "You're a good friend to have come all this way to warn me. I'm sure you have worried people and ought to be getting back."

"No," Black firmly replied. "No, I came all this way to _help_ you. I'm not leaving."

"I don't need your help."

After travelling what was apparently nine thousand miles, that stung like a whip. "But, but I —"

"I'm _fine_, Black." N moved to step around him, so Black had to move to block him. "I mean it, I truly don't need your help, so move."

Frantic, Black didn't pause to weigh up options or anything similarly intelligent. He just blurted, "Maybe I need _your_ help."

If he'd asked Bianca, the response would be full of 'why me'. If he'd asked White, she'd seize control of the situation and rule it mercilessly. If he'd asked Cheren, he'd be a hipster about it. All of them would be surprised by the request for assistance. But N didn't seem remotely surprised; he simply asked, "What do you need my help with?"

Which left Black in a really complicated situation. What was he supposed to say? 'I think I might be gay and in love with you. By the way, do you know what sex is?' No, he couldn't completely unload his feelings on N the second he saw him again. The kiss had been a total mishap due to Reshiram's pushiness.

Wait… that was it.

"Reshiram," Black declared. "It's been quite — er…"

Reshiram stared at him, deadpan.

"…violently apathetic."

"Really?" N said. In an instant, he was all over Reshiram like that's what he'd wanted all along and Black suddenly thought that maybe this wasn't a good plan.

Then Reshiram gave a whine.

"Oh… you miss Zekrom?" N asked.

Black's heart beat faster. Reshiram nodded.

"That does make sense," N murmured, running a hand through Reshiram's hair. "Very well. I suppose, for the sake of you and Zekrom, both of whom I owe so much, I'll allow you to accompany me."

Instantly, Black was elated. Reshiram was a genius. But Black remained composed and dryly muttered, "How gracious."

Except N didn't get it. "Well, yes. I'm in no need of your assistance, and you shouldn't have any reason to be in need of mine."

It was risky, but nonetheless Black replied, "Maybe I just like your company?"

N mumbled something, too soft and fast for Black to catch. Louder, but just as fast, he said, "We'd better keep moving, I'd like to reach New Bark Town before dark."

"Sure." Black turned to Reshiram, to ask it to find his other Pokémon (it was pretty noticeable, after all) but yet again Reshiram had started to follow his command before it had been made.

"Aren't you concerned that she won't come back?" N asked, not sounding remotely concerned.

Black shook his head. "I figure, well… if I can afford the time to let my Pokémon out of their Balls, I probably should."

Their eyes met. Black had expected N to look pleased, or victorious, but his expression remained firmly set to 'nonchalant'. "Plasma was full of lies."

Before Black could get over the fact that holy shit _N_ had changed his mind, N started walking again. Black followed, but his legs were shorter and it took more effort than usual to keep up with N. Still, he managed to say, "_You're_ not full of lies."

"That's what you say," N murmured.

All in all, the reunion was awkward and rather unpleasant. Black wasn't sure what he'd expected — wasn't sure if he'd even expected to find N — but this did make sense. Then again, having never really been in contact with anyone who had lost absolutely everything, Black couldn't say he knew what to expect beyond the moping demeanours apparent for all of five minutes in the action movies White loved so much.

"They killed my wife and kid," the ripped star would grunt without any hint of emotion. "They even killed my Charizard. And now I'll make them pay."

For some reason, action stars always had a Charizard. Probably cos it could swoop in and blow stuff up. Plus, Black had a feeling that the action stars didn't show emotion due to being too muscular to feel anything but testosterone.

The sun was just starting to set when they reached New Bark Town. It was extremely windy, even smaller than Nuvema, and absolutely gorgeous.

But N didn't seem very interested. With narrowed eyes, he spotted the laboratory, turned to Black and commanded, "Go over there and offer to show the professor your Pokémon."

"Professor Elm?" Black confirmed, but only because he was stunned.

"Whomever it is."

Black frowned. "He studies baby Pokémon. I don't think he'd be particularly interested in any of my Pokémon, even if they are foreign."

"You think that he wouldn't enjoy the opportunity to study foreign Pokémon he would have great difficulty otherwise securing?"

Uncertain, and very uneasy, Black shrugged.

"Then, where else would we stay?" N added, just as icy as the wind.

"Uh…" Black glanced around and, spotting a grassy spot nestled between strong trees, pointed. "That'd work, with a tent and all. I've got one in my bag and —"

N was staring.

"…what?"

"Go show this Professor Elm your Pokémon."

"Um. Okay."

Professor Elm was extremely happy to gush over Black's Pokémon, but far happier to ask an abundance of questions about the breeding of Pokémon in Unova. After the experience with Brock, Black was a little sceptical of any older men who ranted about breeding, though Elm did seem genuinely more interested in the eggs than the intercourse leading to it.

Black told him about the Day Care Centre, how the couple seemed just as clueless as any about how the eggs would turn up, and how Bianca had a knack for hatching the Pokémon, and Cheren for raising them quickly. When Black found some pictures of the eggs in question to show, Elm was further thrilled. But N watched the whole thing with a sour expression. It only confused Black more — wasn't this what N _wanted_ him to do?

The sour expression left when Elm did and they were allowed the use of beds in the lab; all Pokémon Scientists seemed to have beds in their labs.

"What's the problem?" Black asked.

N shook his head.

But Black was pretty sure he had an idea of what it was. Flopping back on his temporary bed (it felt so weird after so long sleeping on the Kanto ground on the dry Autumn nights), he stared at the ceiling as he recalled, "This is where a famous Trainer named Gold comes from. He's still the Champion here, you know?"

"Yes, I know."

"Well, less people know about Crystal. She comes from here, too, but she didn't start her journey until a bit after Gold cos of a break in here. Someone stole a Totodile, and Gold took the Cyndaquil to go after them cos, well, Cyndaquil missed his friend. The Chikorita felt left out and, even though he wasn't done studying it, Professor Elm called Crystal to come and take her on an adventure too, just like her friends."

Black glanced across the room to find N's eyes on him, curious. "You're saying Elm is kind to the Pokémon he studies."

"Well, clearly, if he lets them go when they want to leave," Black replied. "Seems stupid to get worked up about it if the Pokémon themselves don't mind."

"Hm," N said, noncommittal.

"And, I wouldn't be surprised if Pokémon are studying us at the same time," Black added. "I mean, they don't have the written reports, but when they're talking — like Cheren's Snivy and my Oshawott used to always sneak off away from us when we first got them, like they were comparing notes about us."

If he were talking to anybody but N, Black would feel utterly humiliated and ridiculous for ever thinking, let alone vocalising, this almost-conspiracy-theory. But it made N chuckle, and that in itself was a victory.

When he woke up in the morning, N's bed was empty except for a single PokéBall. Black dashed over and glanced into it, recognised Zekrom, swore, and dashed for the door regardless of shoes and being only in his boxers and t-shirt. He spotted N near the entrance of New Bark and promptly tackled him to the ground, making a particular effort to shove Zekrom's Ball in his face.

"Get _off_," N hissed.

"Don't abandon your fucking Pokémon!" Black shouted. "You're the one who bitches about how other people treat Pokémon and then you —!"

"I know you'll be able to take better care of him than I can." N kept trying to shove him off, but Black clung tighter. He didn't feel as frantic as he thought he would, just pissed off. "I don't deserve him or the Hero title."

"He picked you," Black growled. "He thinks you're good enough, so you stick around and _become_ good enough, that's how the Trainer thing works!"

N slumped back in defeat. "That's what you say, but you're not like other people."

With a snort, Black retorted, "I am. But there's nobody like you — that's why Zekrom picked you."

"That's what you say."

"Why do you keep saying that? What does it even _mean_?"

"You don't know me."

Black shifted his pin so Zekrom lay in its Ball on N's chest, easily in N's line of sight, and pressed his hands down on N's shoulders. "I know you as well as you know me."

"That's not true."

"How?"

N adverted his gaze downward, then again away from Zekrom's Ball. "I…" Was he struggling to make a point? "I spoke to your Pokémon."

Black considered pointing out that he'd spoken to a lot of people about N, including his minions, bodyguards, and father, but quickly recalled Ghetsis' remarks and realised that would be counterproductive. "So let me talk to your Pokémon."

"You can't hear their —"

"Oh, shut up. You've gotta realise there's plenty of other ways to talk to Pokémon by now."

N sighed sufferingly. "Kindly get off me, then."

"You're not gonna run?"

"I swear that I won't."

Black scanned N's face. "I don't trust you."

Indignant, N exclaimed, "But we're _friends_."

"But you just tried to run off on me." He grabbed a PokéBall from N's waist and studied it, before letting the Vulpix out. It gazed up at him with confused brown eyes, before glancing around and realising it was standing on N's chest. It barked in alarm until Black rested a hand between its ears.

"…can you _please_ get off me?" N once again asked.

"No." Black asked Vulpix, "So what do you think of N, huh? He's a bit of an emo, if you ask me."

In reply, Vulpix turned around and licked N's cheek. N looked positively dumbstruck, then hugged his Pokémon tightly. Fighting the urge to 'aww' at the adorable moment, Black stood up.

"Why'd you try to ditch me?" he asked, with a forced soft edge, because N seemed so focused on his Vulpix that he might let anything slide.

"You're from my past," N indeed replied, "and I want to leave all of that behind me."

"Except — it's always going to be there." Black felt like a cliché straight from the heartfelt movies full of Clefairies Bianca loved, and Cheren not-so-secretly paid too much attention to. "You can't just pretend it never happened."

"Why can't I?"

Black didn't actually know. Nobody ever asked that in the movies. Maybe it was time he stopped comparing the oddities in his life to movies, because N was a prime example of too strange for fiction. "Well… well, cos I'm pretty sure I need you in my life."

Again, N asked, "Why?"

Black shrugged. "Just a feeling." N was staring at him strangely again, so he quickly added, "Plus you'll always know what happened. So it'd better to, you know, make peace with it."

"How?"

Fighting back his irritation, Black shrugged.

"I suppose guilt is a lingering emotion," N murmured. "It has, perhaps, been keeping me from my full potential — but surely this guilt is something I am supposed to feel during the process of redemption, and therefore any hesitation I experiences as a result of it is in fact, a part of me and thus not a hinder of my ability?"

"…if it makes you feel better, we can pretend it didn't happen?" Black suggested. "Not that that'd help. But you're not getting rid of me; I'll follow you anywhere you go."

"I can move very quickly," N pointed out.

"I'm better at navigating forests and caves, and Johto is full of 'em."

"I can ask Pokémon for help."

"So can I."

"I've more money at my disposal."

Black shrugged. "I can sleep outside."

N looked irritated. "You really won't let this go?"

Black shook his head.

"Are friends always this pushy?" At least he sounded more curious than irate.

"Only the good ones," Black replied, smiling widely.

He helped N to his feet. For a moment, N stared down at him, like he was calculating one of the formulas of the world he kept trying to see. Then, very quickly, he pressed his lips to Black's. It was just a touch, then it was gone and N was walking back to the lab.

It was hard not to freak out, or get excited, so Black didn't bother trying. He dashed after N and grabbed his hand. So what if N apparently thought kissing equals friends? Progress is progress is progress. And Black would correct him.

Black touched his free hand to his lips, and decided not to rush into aforementioned correction.

He missed N's faint smirk.

* * *

><p><em><em>...p<em>sssst. That smirk is foreshadowing.<em>__

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I found N a bit tricky to write, but I like to think I'm getting there._

_Next chapter will feature some Johto favourites (such as certain a tsundere to end all tsunderes), and what? Plot? Oh, sure. That might start to catch up, too. And no, I haven't started writing it yet, so feel free to make suggestions._


	4. Sprouts

_YOU PEOPLE ARE DELIGHTFUL._

_And now I shall reply to the non-members!_

_Ashes: There will be more of Cheren and the Clefairies later. (:_

_Julia: Characterisation is important to me, and both Black and N are interesting characters so I feel little need to change them! Lmao, PokeSpec Black is such an impulsive, loud, but overall delightful brat. :HEART:_

_Random Person on a PSP: Your name, it is so honest. I value honesty. And your feedback._

_Ryuze: Two reviews! :D I'm pleased you bookmarked it; that makes me feel so fuzzy. I write a little bit for this every day, I just have a lot of reading to do for university and it's the bane of my existence. So I'm not likely to get bored or ditch the story, I'm just trying to be somewhat studious for a change._

_TK S: Oh, the smirk. Yes, I think this chapter will make it clear where that's leading. I hope you enjoy it~_

_So with no further ado (or teasing on tumblr), please enjoy Part the Fourth._

* * *

><p>After a lifetime of sleeping in the great outdoors, Black's Pokémon didn't take kindly to the idea of sleeping indoors multiple nights in a row. When he was at home, they roamed around freely because Black knew nobody in Nuvema would be capable of stealing them, emotionally or physically. Even though Cherrygrove and Violet were both small cities (so small Black wondered how the hell they counted as cities), Black wasn't entirely comfortable with letting his Pokémon wander around the city freely, given Johto's notoriety for giving a thief a position on the Elite Four. It was said that Gold had to follow Silver around to keep his kleptomania under control.<p>

But after a lifetime of being raised as a king in an (assumedly) underground castle, N didn't take kindly to the idea of sleeping outside. It was pretty much the opposite of what Black had expected.

"I don't want to disturb the Pokémon," N insisted, and then it made much more sense. "How would you feel if strangers suddenly decided to sleep in your home?"

Black shrugged. "I don't think everything that's outdoors belongs to —"

"That's because you don't listen to them. It's already bad enough that we selfishly take over their land to build our shelters, but to further impose on them after said shelters have been built is cruel. It makes it seem like we stole from them for no reason."

"Didn't you notice that squad of Squirtles who steal for fun in Vermillion, or something…?"

N actually stomped his foot on the ground. "They're making the best of a bad situation!"

Black rolled his eyes. "Okay." How had N survived in Kanto on his own for four months was beyond Black. "I just know _my_ Pokémon would rather sleep outside."

"You're not listening, are you?" N said, irate. "_They_ can sleep outside. You're not allowed to."

"You don't decide what I'm allowed to do!"

"Yes I do."

All Black could do was glare.

They had a conversation to this extent almost every day; N would insist they needed to find a 'shelter' to sleep in, Black would point out that he was being ridiculous, and N would just become increasingly ridiculous until Black was too overwhelmed to argue any more.

More than once, Black had considered making snide remarks about N's upbringing but wondered what that would say about his own. It was almost like N wasn't even trying to learn how to get along with people, because he was still placing his own opinion on an impossibly high pedestal and… actually, maybe that wasn't so different from everybody else. N just didn't cover it up at all.

And honestly, Black found N's stubbornness far less irritating when he was deluded and misguided about saving the world rather than just being stubborn for the sake of it.

It really sucked. Black was friends with the pushiest people in the universe, so he was used to battling his points. But with White, Cheren, and Bianca, he knew how to blackmail them into shutting up and knew he could do it without them bursting into tears, punching him, running off, or worse — not even caring. Black hadn't even tried to blackmail N yet. It was too difficult to figure out how N might react. For all he knew, N could fly with his hair.

So to change the subject, he asked, "Why are you taking the Gym challenge?"

It was a question that had been plaguing Black's mind for some time and, as they were heading for Violet City, it seemed like a good time to ask.

N stared at him for a long moment. "Isn't that what Trainers do?"

"I guess it's the basic idea —"

"_Essential_ idea, surely."

Black rolled his eyes. "Let's not generalise people's beliefs or actions, it's not very nice."

N huffed. "I wish to grow closer to Pokémon and Professor Oak talked me into trying a more conventional method."

"Not to mention hypocritical…"

"I'm learning," N firmly insisted, "and there's nothing hypocritical about _learning_."

Black shrugged. "I was just wondering." Before he could stop himself, he continued to wonder; "But, how'd you get the Unova Badges? Or did you invade the Pokémon League from above?"

In the moment N hesitated, Black felt like punching himself. He didn't, though, because that would make it extremely difficult to grab N if he did run off crying or something.

But casually, like they weren't talking about anything more traumatic than the mild Johto weather, N explained, "My ninjas stole the badges for me."

"Oh."

They stumbled through the sunset, tall grass, and trees for about two hours before reaching Violet City, by which point it was extremely dark. N was enraged with Black, as Black had tripped and landed on a Bellspout, and was refusing to talk to him.

"I didn't know it was there," Black stressed for the fiftieth time as they entered the Pokémon Centre. "Why would I deliberately fall on a Bellsprout?"

N stiffly approached the counter where the nurse waited.

"It was cos I couldn't see," Black persisted, "and you _know_, if you weren't such a baby and were willing to sleep outside the whole thing could have been avoided."

N whirled around, grabbed Black's shoulders, and kissed him. As quickly as he'd turned and swooped, N recoiled and turned back to the nurse. Over the rush of embarrassment and his mind shouting _what, what, what are you doing, what_ he missed being allocated a room and asked if his Pokémon needed restoring to full health.

"No thanks…" His voice sounded far off and dreamy even to himself.

"Come along Black," N said, hand curling delicately around Black's. It sparked a new round of _what, what, what are you doing_.

"Yeah. Okay."

When his mind start to clear, Black realised how smug N's tone had sounded. It was like when Black and Cheren had raced up the Dragonspiral Tower to try and get to Zekrom, only to be too late and get a big dramatic speech.

"…heeey," Black said, eyes narrowing. "Are you using kissing to manipulate me?"

N opened the door to their room and rather forcefully shoved Black inside. "Hurry up and sleep, I'd like to face the Gym Leader early."

Black gasped. "You _are_!"

N kissed him again, but for much longer and with more movement than just pressing his lips against Black's. He actually _licked Black's lips_ when he pulled away and repeated, "Hurry up and sleep."

As he slumped on the bottom bunk and N climbed up to the top, Black muttered, "That was _evil_."

But he made sure to mutter it so quietly that N wouldn't be able to hear.

N had a tendency to sleep from dusk until dawn. It was so privative that it had to be a result of growing up with Pokémon and ninjas for company — ninjas, because maybe N was so often hyperactive as a child that he would be put to sleep with that shoulder-grab-thing (_Is that even real?_ Black briefly wondered) to spare the rest of Plasma his energy.

Black wondered a lot of things about N's childhood, though he knew it was rude. He tried to avoid making any assumptions, but sometimes he just couldn't help it. After N had kissed him _twice_ (or was it three times?) to get what he wanted, Black really had to wonder about a few things. How had N learnt to kiss like that? Was that even the proper way to kiss? It wasn't like Black had a mountain of experience to go by; most of the girls in Nuvema had been too smitten with White and the idea of being just as cool as her to pay attention to her brother, and Black had been kind of preoccupied during his journey with the whole Plasma thing. Although, there had been that hiker on the Ferris Wheel in Nimbasa… but Black would _much_ prefer to forget that forever.

It hadn't even been that warm. And Black had only been sweating in fear.

While N was pretty and unusual, he was utterly bizarre and mad. He spoke in gushing torrents, he leant close until he was towering precariously over his victim, and that was just it; N had always made Black feel like a _victim_ of rants. And Black was pretty sure women didn't like being victimised, and that men would take it even worse. Unless N had been cornered on the Ferris Wheel by a hiker, how would he have ever experienced kissing?

Unless… but no, Ghetsis couldn't be that creepy… Except it was _Ghetsis_, and wouldn't it be just like a sick freak to try and control his pawn of a son through the wrong kind of 'love'? He had freely admitted to grooming N…

"Oh _fuck_!" Black shouted, sitting up. Wait. That was offensive. Insensitive. "I mean, oh shit!"

N reached down and hit him before rolling over with a groan.

Black tried not to freak out, but he had just figured out that his crush was a victim of some kind of twisted sexual abuse. Staying calm was easier said than done. But somehow, Black much have managed to lie back down and fall asleep again, as the next thing he knew he was being awoken by the high-pitched beeping of his X-transceiver. It took him several tries to answer, by which point N had tried to hit him again.

"Whaaaat," Black groaned.

"Wake up. Pay attention." He recognised White's voice and a note of fear in it, but the sun was barely up… "HILBERT."

Black opened his eyes to glare. "_Hilda_. What."

"This is _important_," White hissed. Her eyes flickered to the side, like she was watching something she shouldn't have been.

Black sat up against the wall, rubbed his eyes several times, and then stared back to his wrist. "Okay. What?"

Apparently satisfied, White explained in a low tone, "We've arrested six of the Seven Sages. Looker's confident that we won't find Ghetsis in Unova, so he's leaving."

Black had to admit that was important enough to warrant a four am call. "Shit. Uh. Where's he starting?"

"Kanto," White replied. "Have you found your sou—?"

"Yeah I found N," Black said quickly. He had no doubt N was listening in, though he wasn't sure why N hadn't jumped down and started demanding answers from White yet. "We're in Johto, and N's pretty confident Looker's too… old to catch up. Or something."

White gave a snort-like laugh. "Back to the Sages. They weren't very willing to talk… at least, not to us."

"Meaning…?"

"The entirety of Team Plasma has a massive crush on you, O Hero of Dreams."

If he could have, Black would have punched her.

White laughed. "Yeah, they talk about you like that. And they've said enough for me to figure some things out. They seem pretty remorseful, but they're still on with all that existential crap. And none of them know what the hell Ghetsis is up to."

"So they say," Black bitterly muttered.

"So they say," White similarly agreed. "Weirder still, they know they're going to prison, but none of them tried to resist arrest. Almost like —"

"They know they'll be let out soon," Black realised.

White nodded grimly.

"So Ghetsis is clearly up to something," Black muttered. "Any sign of the ninja-creeps?"

"Of course not, they're _ninjas_."

"Okay…" Black frowned. "Where are you, anyway?"

"Fennel's. Looker left about half an hour ago with Gorm."

"All right. Thanks." Black glanced up at N's bunk, then back to the X-transceiver. "I'll talk to you later."

Before White could start demanding information about the sleeping arrangements or something, he hung up and hesitantly asked, "N?"

Quite clearly alert, N replied, "Ghetsis won't do anything. He's nothing without followers."

Black wanted to insist that Ghetsis would be bitter and angry, and the bitter and angry weren't notorious for making good decisions. But maybe the idea of Ghetsis being active was too distressing for N to handle, so instead he said, "I guess it's not a whole lot of evidence to go on."

"Exactly. I'm glad you're starting to use logic."

"Bitch," Black muttered.

N jumped down from the top bunk and started untangling his hair with his fingers. "There haven't been gangs beyond biking ones in Johto for a decade, so surely that means the desire to join such a group has been all but cast away. Ghetsis wouldn't be able to do a thing."

N started to pull his clothes off. For modesty, Black turned away.

"In fact, I highly doubt Ghetsis would know how to make a plan anything other than ridiculously intricate with decades of necessary preparation," N further mused.

Eager to change the subject, Black asked, "What're you gonna use against Falkner?"

"Falkner?"

Black frowned. "The Violet City Gym Leader."

There was a long silence.

"…N, if you're shrugging I can't see it."

"Stop staring at the wall, then. I'll battle my friends against his."

Black wasn't sure what more to expect from N. "You know, Zekrom would be a good choice."

"I hardly think that's fair."

"It's just you don't seem to do much with it."

"Him."

Professor Elm seemed to think Reshiram and Zekrom were genderless, but N could talk to Pokémon, was extremely pretty, and likely a victim of twisted abuse so Black had to be super nice to him. "Him, then. And I mean, after the big deal you made about Zekrom choosing you, isn't it a bit insulting to ignore him?"

"I don't _ignore_ him," N scoffed. "I just appreciate the rarity of an Unovan Pokémon, let alone an Unovan Pokémon of legend, in this region. I also appreciate that I am likely to be identified by Zekrom and that I most definitely do not want to be recognised by any officers who would report me to Looker."

Since he had to be super nice to N, Black risked glancing at N, was relieved to find him once again dressed and admitted, "I didn't think of that."

N looked slightly startled. "I would have thought it was obvious."

"I would've thought it was obvious you're cleverer than me."

To Black's surprise, N's eyes narrowed and, even more shocking, he said nothing.

N forbade Black from following him to the Gym or watching his match. Black supposed that N wanted to maintain a level of secrecy about his Pokémon Party just in case he managed to run off. Not that that mattered; Black would just find him again.

Although, if N really was a victim of _that_ kind of abuse, was Black just being an asshole by following him around? But N thought he was doing it for Reshiram, and N did like Reshiram. Not that Black could blame him; Reshiram was pretty damn awesome, and currently flying around Violet City dropping monstrous feathers on the heads of commuters.

Violet City was stunningly purple. Purple rooves, purple flowers in bloom, a great swaying purple tower dedicated to Bellsprouts… Black couldn't really see the link with Falkner; the guy didn't even wear purple. Maybe if Black had liked purple better, he would have spent less time thinking about N. But the ground was covered in grass as green as N's hair, so he didn't stand a chance.

As he walked past Sprout Tower, an icy voice suddenly hissed, "Hold it."

Black slowly turned to find a man dressed in all black with very nice long red hair. It wasn't like N's hair, which was cut crudely with no consistency in style, but layered in a very deliberate way to frame his cheeks and just brush his eyes to draw more attention to the cold, steel-like grey. The man seemed just as intent on studying Black, though Black had a feeling that had very little to do with his appearance and everything to do with Reshiram, who was sitting atop Sprout Tower letting out giggle-like roars.

"That's your Pokémon, isn't it?" the man demanded.

"…uh…"

"It's not like I _care_, I just have to confirm it," he added with a scowl.

Hang on, something about that moody disposition was familiar… Black's eyes widened. "You're Silver."

"Yeah, so answer my question, idiot."

Slowly, Black nodded.

"So you're the one who skipped out on customs."

Black tried to change the nod into a shake, but it was too late; Silver snorted and grabbed his arm. "Call your Pokémon back."

Reshiram had started trying to sway against the tower. "She really wouldn't like that."

"Do it before it breaks the damn tower."

"Not that you care?" Black snidely asked.

He probably deserved the hit. Grumbling, Black recalled Reshiram. As he tried to slip the PokéBall back into his bag, it started to wriggle in protest, before bursting open again.

"You can't be a very good Trainer," Silver sneered, like he wasn't at all impressed or threatened by the towering feathered dragon who looked ready to take a bite out of him, "you can't even keep your Pokémon in their Balls."

In stories of Gold, Silver and Crystal, Black had always found Silver witty, amusing, and often even cute. Now that he had met him, all he could think was '_What a jerk_'.

"I told you she wouldn't like it," Black lamely replied. He turned to Reshiram and scratched her neck until she stopped growling and started purring. Silver watched with thinly veiled interest, before turning away in what seemed to be disgust.

Maybe N wasn't so odd after all.

"I was in a rush, so I skipped the process a bit," Black explained. "I didn't think it'd be a big deal."

"It is when you're travelling with a Pokémon nobody has seen or heard of," Silver replied.

"Everyone where I come from has heard of it," Black replied, hoping that was cryptic enough.

"You've captured a Legendary Pokémon?"

Apparently not. "She chose me! Which means it's okay!"

Silver started to reply, but was cut off by a shout of Black's name and a flurry of green attacking him. It took Black a moment to process that N was hugging him, and another moment to process that N was _happy_.

"I won, Black!" N brightly said.

"Great… I'm a little preoccupied, but I'm happy for you."

N glared at Silver like a rampaging Gyarados and pulled Black closer. "Go away."

Silver glared back like a rabid Ursaring. "Is that a challenge?" he growled, PokéBall suddenly in hand.

Quite suddenly, N shoved Silver over and dragged Black over to Reshiram. "Quickly!" he hissed, hauling Black onto his own Pokémon's back, before urging Reshiram to the sky.

"I can't believe you did that!" Black shouted over the wind. "That — that was _Silver_!"

"What is it with Trainers and colours?" N wondered.

"It's…" Black didn't know how to even start to explain the concept of idolisation to N, or if that was even a good idea. "Never mind! He's the leader of the _Elite Four_ here!"

N shrugged. "I didn't like him."

Even through his feeling of utter dread, Black found the capacity to feel pleased. Didn't that mean N was protective of him?

* * *

><p><em>Look! Plot, there was plot! AND SILVER. He will be back, with reinforcement. Very loud reinforcement. In shorts.<em>

_This actually isn't all I intended for this chapter, but this way will not only aid pacing but enable me to confirm that as I am back at university, this will probably be my regular update schedule (monthly). I crave the ability to live without sleep, but alas 'twas not meant to be._

_So, yes — next chapter will feature more of Black awkwardly treading around what he perceives to be N's issues, more of cheerful N (just to confuse him further), and as I said, loud reinforcement in shorts._

_Please share your thoughts! I'm always looking to improve. :3_


	5. Muddled

_Insert whining about how much work my uni classes are, how much time they take away from my writing, and oh by the way I have so much writing to do. BUT I LOVE YOU ALL AND I LOVE WRITING THIS STORY._

_And now, to the lovely anons!_

_toolazytologin: If your comparison was lame, what does that make me for being extremely flattered by it? X: Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoy the story and the grammar and the characterisation! This isn't exactly soon, but an update is an update. I do hope you didn't asphyxiate — will a slightly longer than usual chapter help?_

_nom: I definitely won't be ditching this story any time soon. (: I'm just slow because what is writing less than ten stories at once?_

_InsertCleverness: Make sure you puke the sparkles on Gaycheese's snuggie. That thing is pretty much only lacking sparkles. _

_Tsuki: N sees an advantage and he uses it._

_Ashes: Let's be sleep deprived buddies! You hug N, I'll hug an audino. So fluffy._

_Theygotstyle: Black knows everything about everything. He's the Hero of Truth, that's how he knows everything about N's childhood without asking anything. If only he knew how to use his Deutsch-standard wiles to seduce all of Team Plasma. …why aren't I replying on tumblr? Well. I don't know._

_Thank you all so much for your support!_

* * *

><p>N slid off Reshiram in the approximate area of Azalea Town and immediately grabbed Black. He laughed when Black tripped, but helped him up again anyway. Black quickly recalled Reshiram, who obediently remained in her Ball.<p>

"I can't believe you did that," Black groaned. He felt faint. "You — you attacked _Silver _and, and now —"

"I didn't like him," N once again said.

"You're gonna be snarked to death," Black continued. "He'll hunt us down and snark you to death."

"Snark isn't a verb, and I'm quite certain that it doesn't mean what you think it means, so that can't happen," N confidently replied. He glanced around, and spotted the infamous Slowpoke Well. Black expected his eyes to fill with tears at the sight of the thing, but N simply gazed down into the well. "There's a lot of Slowpokes down there."

"You realise you've just increased the number of people after you, right?" Black irritably asked.

"I like Slowpokes. They remind me of you."

"…gah!"

N leant on the rail and waved to the Slowpokes. "I wonder why there's so many? I thought Team Rocket slaughtered all the Slowpokes in Azalea Town."

Black frowned. "No, they just cut off their tails. They grow back. And they only got about ten before Gold stopped them."

"Oh."

Maybe N was so severely depressed about having lived his entire life being lied to that he'd throw himself into a pit of Slowpokes. It was too depressing to accept, so Black walked over and grabbed N's sleeve.

"What?" N demanded.

"…uh… d'ya wanna go catch a Slowpoke?"

N frowned as thought the idea was completely confusing. "But I already have you."

Black wasn't sure whether to be offended or flattered, so he tugged N's sleeve. "Let's head into Azalea. Gotta try to dodge Silver for a bit longer."

"Sure! And I can try to win a second Gym Badge in one day!"

N had just exclaimed in excitement without any Ferris wheels in the equation — and with _Pokémon Battles_ very much involved. Black wasn't sure what to think. Maybe the news that Ghetsis was possibly active in another region was so traumatic it made N act happy. That could happen, right?

N glanced around them like he was entranced by the trees, the tall grass, the cave's entrance, before setting his gaze on an apricorn tree. Odd. Maybe it was linked to his strategy to take Bugsy down.

"Just make sure your Pokémon rest properly," Black barely managed to say. That was compassionate, right?

N glanced over with a glare so sharp Black expected to bleed. "What do you think I am, a freak without a heart?"

"What, no, I —"

"I don't mean a literally heart — I have a heart that I can be stabbed in or shot in and of course if it ceases to beat then I will cease to be as you of course must know — but do you think I have no sentiments? Do you think I would _allow_ my Pokémon to hurt?"

"_No_, I was just saying!" Black shouted. He had to shout; N spoke so quickly he had to be drowned out before anybody else could be heard. "I don't think you're heartless! You're kind of an asshole to _people_ —"

"Because humans are selfish pitiful creatures who —"

"— but you're really caring about Pokémon!"

That easily, N smiled. "Good of you to realise."

Not for the first time (but definitely for the first time since he'd fought Ghetsis) Black wondered exactly what N's mental condition was. If he asked, that would be insensitive to N's clear daddy issues. Were daddy issues a mental disorder? Black decided it was worth potential embarrassment and texted his question to Cheren.

Azalea Town was positively tiny; it reminded Black a lot of Nuvema with all the trees, though the Gym and apricorns upset the similarities. As soon as they stepped in to the town, N's face lit up like his massive existential crisis had been meaningless.

When they weren't immediately stopped at the Pokémon Centre, Black only became increasingly concerned. Sure, he had beaten Green, but Green wasn't the reigning Champion of Indigo Plateau for half a decade. More like half a minute.

Hang on. N had beaten Alder, and Black had beaten N, so did that make Black the Unova Champion?

No, of course not, Black quickly decided. If he were Champion, Cheren probably wouldn't speak to him ever again. N wouldn't've been officially registered in time, Black had arrived mere seconds after Alder's defeat.

His theory was further confirmed when Cheren texted him back to say, '_Only for the people who have to put up with them_'. Cheren, giving him sympathy. That wouldn't happen if he were Champion.

"Your Pokémon are fighting fit," Nurse Joy chirped. "Please come again!"

"To the Gym," N commanded.

They didn't get far.

Standing outside the Azalea Gym were three people, two of whom Black immediately recognised; Silver, as expected, but also _Gold_ as he'd been dreading. The third towered over both of them and with the aid of the purple hair Black realised it was Bugsy, apparently a body builder now.

"I didn't think they'd be that fast," N murmured. He glanced around quickly. "There." One arm grabbed Black's as N dashed for the thick throng of trees.

"There!" Bugsy's particularly manly voice growled.

"AHA! I see them! Awesome, the forest, I haven't been there for ages! C'mon, Silv."

"Idiot, don't grab—!"

And that was how Black came to be hiding in a forest like a Plasma Grunt. Except Ilex was far colder and about a million times darker than Pinwheel and the shrine felt like it was watching them.

"They're gonna catch us," Black said. "There really isn't any point in hiding. So we should just go and talk to them."

"No."

"Any reason why not…?"

"Because I said so." Once again, N was glancing around everywhere but at Black. "I'll be back in a minute. Wait here."

"What're you —?"

But N had already disappeared between the trees. Sighing, Black sat on the ground.

Being around N reminded Black of how he felt when he first arrived in Striaton City. He'd spent the first hour or so sitting in the Pokémon Centre staring wide-eyed at all the people. His Oshawott had kept urging him to go do something please cos she was really bored, but there was so much to take in and Black didn't want to miss any of it so he just sat back and watched. Of course, he got over the city-awe after trying to walk and stare at the top of skyscrapers in Castelia ended up giving him a headache and a twisted ankle from tripping so often. Black didn't want to miss any moment of N, but he didn't understand anything N did either — so it was like wandering around surrounded, overwhelmed, amazed and more than a little bit afraid with no idea what he was doing or why.

But at the same time, being around N was kind of distressing. What _was_ wrong with him? And why did everything N did get under Black's skin so much?

Black grabbed a PokéBall, releasing the Audino inside. "Jooooy," he whined, "I need a hug."

It may have been unbecoming of the mega-manly badass Hero of Truth, but Black _really_ needed it. Joy's hugs were warm and fuzzy and they made Black feel warm and fuzzy.

"Aud," Joy murmured.

"What?"

He pointed at the treetops blocking the sky. "Aud."

Black glanced up to notice three dark blurs dropping down. Crouched around him in a dramatic triangle were three people he hadn't spared a second though: the Shadow Triad. Joy leapt in front of Black protectively, but the Triad didn't seem to have any violent intent. As one, they murmured a respectful:

"Hero of Truth."

Black recalled what White had said about all of Team Plasma having a crush on him and wondered what his chances of outrunning ninjas were.

Slim to none, he realised. Offering a strained smile, Black lamely replied, "Hi… fancy seeing you ninjaing all the way out here."

"Do not patronise us as you patronise Lord N. We will never like you in any way; you defeated our master and because of you, Ghetsis has left us and ordered us to stay away."

Black didn't know what to say to that. Was he really that patronising towards N? He didn't mean to be, it was just that N was so completely clueless.

"From the day he saved our lives, we have vowed loyalty to Ghetsis… yet now he has no further use for us."

Was Ghetsis just a sex fiend or something?

"He said to give you this."

The centre ninja dropped a bright, gleaming blue orb at Black's feet, clearly having no desire to be in contact with his bondage master's defeater.

"And this as well."

A second one; bright, glowing and yellow.

"Also this."

A third, glowing and milky white.

The Triad stared at Black, clearly expecting something.

"…um… thanks?" he lamely offered. "Except, erm, why did Ghetsis want you to give me a bunch of balls? I mean, orbs."

Oh crap, Ghetsis probably wanted Black as a sex slave for purposes to do with revenge. Were sex slaves courted? Courting was mostly offering pretty shiny things, right? But why would a sex slave be courted? Wasn't the idea that they were unwilling?

"They are linked to the Creation Trio," the ninja on the left explained. "Dialga, Palkia and Giratina."

"…_oh_."

"Yes, _oh_."

Black did not appreciate sass from a ninja, so he asked, "Why didn't you give these to N?"

"We follow the orders Ghetsis gives us."

"We are also ninja, not kamikaze."

"…ha?"

In a slightly quieter tone, the centre member continued, "Like all of Team Plasma, we do not enjoy the company of N. He does not understand the proper ways to conduct one's self in various social situations, thus his behaviour is embarrassing to behold."

"Like you're ones to talk."

"Precisely."

It was the right member's turn. "That was an aspect of Ghetsis' plan; to create one who would never see the truth of human and/or Pokémon interaction. Such a person emerges to expect from the world what is ideal, not what is real, especially when that person is given whatever they have previously desired. That is why he is the Hero of Ideals: he cannot see reality without seeking what he believes to be a better option. It is a wonder that you, who sees reality no matter what you desire, can endure his company."

Since they were pretty much one person (or all represented one opinion he really didn't like) Black glared at each in turn. "Shut up. He's not that bad. And I'm the Hero of Truth, so clearly what I say is true and you're all assholes."

The ninjas stared at him.

"_Besides_," Black continued because _fucking ninjas_ didn't get to tell him how he should feel, "he's the Hero of Ideals. Reshiram and Zekrom are two halves of some Taoist shit. That means N and I are the same."

The ninjas continued to stare. Then, the middle member said, "You are digging your own grave. You must realise this, yet you do not avoid it…"

"He's _really_ not that bad."

As one, the ninjas said, "Never shall we meet again."

They disappeared.

"…Jooooy," Black whined once again. He hugged Joy tightly for a full minute and muttered about how ninjas would never, ever seem cool again. "Okay. I'm good. Thanks."

Joy pressed a paw to his cheek, smiled, then disappeared into his Ball.

Black really loved Pokémon.

Sighing, he quickly examined the glowing orbs. How long had the Shadow Triad been following him? If they'd wanted to find him alone, they clearly couldn't have been following him around Kanto… Unless Reshiram had been acting as a guard. The idea of Reshiram frightening off ninjas with fiery pranks or fury was pretty delightful. Maybe she'd drop burning feathers one by one until flames even ninjas couldn't escape circled them.

Except then they'd be dead and Black wouldn't be hiding their — Ghetsis' — presents. He didn't have a clue what the present meant or what Ghetsis could possibly be up to now, but he knew for sure he couldn't let N know his former ninjas were stalking them and had apparently known all of Ghetsis' plans all along.

How many people had known? Black had wondered this many times and knowing for sure that others had been in on it made him feel queasy.

If they were to be believed, Black looked at things and only saw the truth. But if Black really did see only the truth, why was he constantly so confused? Forget confused, why was he ever afraid? And why did he ever fail any tests at school, if he was so knowledgeable? It was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

Except what they'd said about N was kind of true. Black just didn't think it was a bad thing. Okay, maybe the social retardation was teeth-grindingly irritating, but always looking to make things better? That was definitely a good thing.

Still, Black felt like he couldn't tell N about the encounter.

N returned several minutes after the Triad left. His white shirt seemed to glow through the dark as he approached and for a long moment it blinded Black to the change. When N stood in front of him staring expectantly and snapped, "Happy?" Black realised N's hair was not only shorter, but lop-sided.

Black tilted his head to the right. N's hair looked much the same as ever.

Black tilted his head to the left. N's hair was barely longer than his earlobe in some places and framing his jaw line in others.

Black stared straight at N. It was all spiky and stupid.

"Um."

"You kept saying my hair stands out, so I asked a wild Scyther to cut it," N replied, quickly even for N.

Black felt his usual surge of exasperation but it was accompanied by what felt like being punched in the gut by Cupid. "That was really…" Black wasn't sure if he wanted to say 'adorable' or 'stupid'. "…you could've been hurt."

N glanced away. "I suppose. But I wasn't, and doesn't that prove you right? That even wild Pokémon don't hate humans?"

For maybe the first time in his life, Black had the opportunity to gloat about being right. It was a very tempting option, but the Cupid-punch was still doing funny things to him so Black reached for N's hand and pulled him to sit beside him. He ran his fingers through the shorter side of N's hair. The Scyther had clearly cut at an odd angle.

"Now your hair just looks ridiculous," Black ended up saying.

N shrugged. "Isn't that consistent with Johto styles?"

"True."

Black leant in to kiss N but N suddenly asked, "Did someone come by when I was away?"

"Erm. No."

N was glancing at the spot where the centre member of the Shadow Triad had crouched. "It's only, there's shoe prints. Deep ones. As though someone jumped from a tree."

"Ahaha, weird." Black quickly flopped down to avoid N's expectant gaze. "Um. You know, Gold and Silver are just gonna be waiting at the forest's end. So we can either stay here for the rest of our lives or just, you know, go talk to them."

"Was it the Shadow Triad?" N demanded.

The ninjas must have taught N some tricks of the trade, like mind reading. "I guess we can just, you know, stay in here tonight and then see if Gold gets bored and goes… somewhere."

In hindsight, Black should've known better than to ignore N's questioning. N climbed on top of him, grabbed his wrists, glared and hissed, "_Hilbert_."

"Don't say that!" Black whined. "You don't even know what it means!"

"No, but when White said it you did as she said," N countered. "…it doesn't mean anything too terrible, does it? Hilbert?"

Black shuddered. "No, it's, it's my real name."

N, whose name was just a _letter_, laughed.

Cheeks heating, Black said, "If you never say it again I'll tell you who was here!"

"I'll know if you lie," N warned. "It was the Shadow Triad, wasn't it?"

Black sighed and nodded.

N sat back. "I knew it. I knew they were following us."

"…how?"

"I heard some Pokémon muttering. I've also spent much longer in their company than you have and am familiar with how they work. What did they want?"

Black bit his lip. "Erm. To moan about how hot they think Gayche— I mean, your dad, is and how much they miss him." Was that insensitive wording again? Black sat up and awkward reiterated, "They miss your dad and he wanted them to give me some stuff."

"I thought they wanted to kill you," N matter-of-factly said. "Though I didn't think they would follow us into this forest."

Something clicked. "Wait, when you were shouting at me before…"

N nodded. "They invariably stay far away from me when I shout."

"I thought you were really upset!" Black cried. "Don't do shit like that, I don't wanna upset you or anything!"

N smiled wryly.

"No, _seriously_. I don't."

For a long moment, N just stared. Black realised that N didn't know what to say or do, and couldn't really blame him; Black wasn't sure himself. But brushing back N's fringe and kissing his forehead seemed like a good start.

"Team Plasma isn't a problem any more," N quietly said.

It sounded almost like a promise. "I know." But that didn't mean Ghetsis wasn't.

N agreed to sleep in the forest that night, but not until after hunting down a wild Oddish to ask permission from. He complained about the lumpy ground, about being cold, and most of all, about how crucial segregation was. Black tried to zone it out and sleep, but his mind kept wandering to the three glowing orbs wrapped in spare clothes at the bottom of his bag. Why wouldn't Ghetsis want Dialga, Palkia and Giratina? Even one of them would be terrifying enough to force the world to bow in submission, especially if it was true that they could distort and destroy reality. When he tried to keep his mind far away from sinister plots, it wandered to Gold and Black became so nervous at the idea of battling Gold that it made his innards squirm.

At least N didn't complain in his sleep. Much.

When N woke up in the morning, Black determinedly stared at the tent's wall rather than another example of N's shameless dressing.

"I need to apologise to the Pokémon," N declared. "Let me out."

Black sat up and unzipped the tent with as much irritation as he could.

"_Thank_ you."

Of course, when the time came to take the tent down, N was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't like it was difficult, Black just had a tendency to trip over parts of it. Black had it shoved back in his bag by the time N returned.

"The Pokémon didn't mind," N reassured. "Actually, they didn't notice. But it remains preferable to not disrupt the Pokémon's habitats. It is their property."

"Sure, sure…" Black pulled his bag on. "Well, let's go."

When they weren't ambushed the second they emerged from the trees, Black was hopeful. They managed to cross five metres before he was grabbed by the hood and landed on his arse.

"Black!" N cried.

Black groaned in reply.

"Bit harsh Silv."

"Whatever."

Black stared up at Silver in resentment and then Gold in awe. Partly due to the whole 'Team Rocket-breaking reigning Champion of Kanto AND Johto' thing, partly due to the fact that he was still wearing shorts despite being seven years older and thus officially in the age group where shorts weren't particularly acceptable.

"Get away from Black!"

"Relax, we're not gonna do anything bad to him," Gold said over his shoulder.

At that news, Black sat up.

"I'll fight you for him," N declared.

And at that, Black felt like a fair maiden.

In a flash, Gold grabbed a PokéBall. "Fine by me."

"That's really not necessary," Black said. "Um. This is about Reshiram, right?"

N muttered something that sounded like, "Evrthnrehiamithu." Was there a secret Plasma language?

Black reached for his bag. Silver almost leapt on him. "I'm just getting her PokéBall!" Black cried. He made a big show of opening his bag far wider than necessary and fishing out both Reshiram's PokéBall and, as an afterthought, his PokéDex.

"See, I'm a Dex Holder." He held it up for them to see and ignored N's huff of disgust. "I work for Professor Aurea Juniper. From Nuvema. In Unova."

Silver snatched it to examine.

"You don't have to be rude about it," Gold said.

"Shut up, moron."

Gold grinned and took Black's PokéDex when Silver offered it. "Yeah, actually, she sent Professor Elm an email about you and then he sent it to me and either your mum has no tastes or she really hates you."

"…thanks."

"Welcome." It figured that Gold was well acquainted with ignoring sarcasm. "Sooo, this Reshiram," He started scrolling through Black's PokéDex, "it's at the bottom, right? Why do they always put the Legendaries at the bottom?"

"Likelihood of encountering them, we've been over this," Silver muttered. "And the fact that nobody's ever sure if they're even real until we find them."

"Okay, but it should just open to the Pokémon I want when I turn it on."

As Gold and Silver muttered about the PokéDex, N snuck around and suddenly clung to Black. He glared at Silver mostly, but Gold still got more than his fair share of eye-hate.

"They're not bad," Black whispered to N. "They're just doing their job. Don't make a fuss."

"They shoved you to the ground," N said, clearly not understanding the point of whispering, "That's terrible."

"_You_ shoved Silver over."

"_He_ was talking to you when _I_ wanted to."

Gold started loudly humming what suspiciously sounded like '_I Don't Know How To Love Him_'.

Black felt his face heat.

"Fire dragon," Gold muttered. Louder, he asked, "Does it really change the weather with its tail fire?"

"No."

"I swear half the entries on these are just crap Oak made up to freak us out," Gold irritably said. "Ho-Oh doesn't fly continuously, Lugia doesn't constantly cause storms by flapping its wings, blahdiblah. Lemme see Reshiram?"

Black tossed Gold Reshiram's PokéBall — or tried to. N snatched it from the air and stared at Black with utmost alarm.

"Your stalker is really irritating," Silver said.

"Actually, he stalks me," N snapped.

Black had never imagined that he'd be anything less than cool if he did meet Gold, Silver or Crystal, despite an entire life of contrary evidence. He certainly hadn't expected to meet them as some vague sort of criminal in with the world's most spoilt brat clinging to him like if he let go for one second Black would disappear forever.

"Um. Kinda wanna just get this over with, so, sorry, but —" He pried Reshiram's Ball from N, who shouted at him too quickly for the words to process as anything but _too loud_, and sent her out. "— there."

It was abundantly clear that Reshiram more than appreciated Gold exclaiming about 'what an awesome Pokémon' — she posed and everything.

"See, she likes it," Black muttered to N.

N huffed.

"Okay, so, maybe next time you enter a foreign land you shouldn't like, run out on customs cos you're bored or whatever," Gold called to Black as he obediently scratched Reshiram's neck. "But lemme give you my number, in case weird shit comes up. Always does to Dex Holders, y'know."

Black couldn't even pretend not to be somewhat ecstatic at getting _Gold_'s number, especially not after Gold and Silver bid them farewell (Gold loudly, Silver with a 'I'm watching you punk' glare).

"I _hate_ Johto," N grumbled.

* * *

><p>…<em>did I mention that I'm a fan of Black Adventures?<em>

_I drew a (lame) picture of N's haircut. Link is on my profile. But those of you who follow my tumblr have probably already seen it!_

_I'm not going to make any promises about the next chapter. I've got major assignments for my uni courses to write this month. Each is worth about 40% of my final grade, and they're all research essays (the worst kind). But! If it's not up by the 14th of October (which is 15 days after my last essay is due for submission), tell me off. I'm not THAT busy, but I only learnt to procrastinate last year so I've got some 18 years of it to catch up on. Or something._

_Next chapter will include: much more of Black's pondering, more of White, Cheren and Bianca, a man with a cape and a dragon fetish and N pondering fashion to go with his new hair._

_Review? :D_


	6. Dragons

_Okay. It's the sixteenth of October in Australia. Here's my excuse; there I was, all ready to quickly finish this chapter off and post it. I check Skype, and what do I find there?_

_Natural Harmonia Gropius._

_I spent a while personally translating the blog post about this to make sure it was real, laughed for a while, then tried to shrug it off. I opened up this chapter, quickly scanned what I'd done, and that was when something extraordinary happened._

_Every time I looked at the name 'N', my mind went, 'That stands for Natural Groper'. Maybe I'm easily amused, but I kept laughing too much to focus._

_So, yeah. Sorry. I'm pretty much over it now._

_Replies to anons:_

_Ashes: I have an Audino plush named Joy whose hugs make everything better. He doesn't have a scarf so much as a neckerchief, though. Gold doesn't really mature with age, but that's why we love him! :D I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter~_

_Thanks for all the support, and special thanks to BatsGoneWild for the reminder. C: You made me stop laughing and get shit done._

* * *

><p>Black was more than happy to arrive in Goldenrod City. It was large (though not nearly as large as Castelia), loud and N kept finding small cuddly pokémon to fawn over. Their owners, quite used to the fuss from Trainers passing by, laughed in amusement and then with nerves as N started squeaking at the pikachu, growling at the growlithe, and cawing at the pidgeys. While Black would normally insist N showed <em>some<em> restraint, he was glad for N's preoccupation. It gave Black longer to plan what he was going to say when he called White.

Contrary to what his gym badges, defeat of the Elite Four, constant foiling of Team Plasma's schemes and Reshiram itself all hinted at, Black wasn't really much of an ideas guy. He usually came up with some vague strategy before battles, which meant he thought for a minute or two about Type Advantages and tried to use them. White was even worse; she just attacked and attacked and attacked until whatever it was stopped attacking back. Really, if Black wanted a way to figure out what Ghetsis was up to, stopping it, and doing it all without offending or upsetting N, he needed to consult Cheren and then run Cheren's ideas past Bianca for corrections. Cheren schemed with far more care and cunning than Black, but Bianca was the true mastermind: too caught up in her own plans to actually make any of them succeed.

Black loved his friends. Honestly. They were just a bit predictable.

While N was trying to instruct Nurse Joy of the best ways to care for pokémon, Black sat in their room and quickly called White.

"Oh my god," she groaned as she picked up, "can you not even count time-zones? Are you actually that retarded?"

"It's important," Black insisted.

"Just kiss him you fool," White grumbled. "Say you love him, kiss him, and then never talk to me again cos I'm so tired I don't even —"

"The Shadow Triad cornered me."

Apparently White wasn't too exhausted to yelp and sit up, pulling her Xtransceiver within view of her wide eyes. "Did they kill you? Did they kill N?"

Black rolled his eyes.

"Okay maybe _not yet_ but they're probably gonna try," White insisted. "And then — hey, geddoff!"

Cheren had grabbed White's wrist to condescendingly sneer at Black (it was less effective sans glasses), "Remember when you used to do the girly freak outs?"

"You're a dick," Black grumbled.

"Where are you?" White demanded. Black could barely remember the last time he'd seen her that concerned, but it definitely involved a broken arm.

"Goldenrod."

White and Cheren muttered for a minute or so, just beyond the range of White's Xtransceiver.

"Guuuys…"

"Can you stay there for a couple of days?" White asked, though it was bordering on a demand he would have to fulfil or else. "We'll come meet you."

"Bad idea," Black immediately blurted. "Um. Don't do that. It wouldn't end well. I'll be fine."

"I'm sure you want to keep having all that alone time with your boyfriend, but this is serious and you can get laid later."

Black spluttered.

"So it's settled," White coolly said. "See you in about two days."

She hung up before Black could protest again.

"Shit," Black groaned. He wasn't sure exactly what N's thoughts about his friends were, but based on N's constant ignoring them, it was nothing good.

For about an hour, Black lay on the bottom bunk groaning. He planned to stop before N returned, but N walked in, took one look at him and demanded:

"What happened now?"

Black sat up and, after deciding N would probably beat him up if he lied, grumbled, "White's coming to Goldenrod. Cheren and Bianca, too."

N actually growled.

"They're just worried," Black said.

"You don't want them here either," N grumbled. He quickly added, "We should just leave now. They wouldn't be able to catch up to us very easily, especially if we went somewhere they wouldn't suspect."

It was a tempting idea. If they headed straight for somewhere cold, like Mahogany Town…

"We shouldn't," Black sighed.

"They'll get in the way," N insisted. "They _always_ get in the way. _Especially_ White. I don't understand why you bother with them, or like them. _Especially_ White."

Black sat up straighter. "Why 'especially White'? Have you ever even spoken to any of them without me there? Do you even know who Bianca is?"

N crossed his arms over his chest and looked away.

"N. Come on."

N growled again and snapped, "Of course I have."

Black stared expectantly until N continued.

It didn't take long for N to burst out with, "Why would you want them around when you have me?"

Black wasn't sure what to say. He honestly didn't want White, Cheren or even Bianca around, but he would eventually. It wasn't even about them invading their privacy; it was about Team Plasma and stopping Ghetsis from whatever his current sinister plan was. He reached for N's arm, but N took a step back.

"Look," Black sighed. He swallowed heavily. "I don't… I don't really want them around."

"So let's leave now."

Black shook his head. "It's not about us or them, it's about Ghetsis and… whatever he's doing. They think there's something up with it."

N snorted. "Ghetsis is slightly suspicious, so your friends and girlfriend come running to help nothing."

"Well, yeah, that's what friends —" Black froze. "Wait. Girlfriend? You think Bianca's my girlfriend?"

N glared at him.

"_Shit_, N, Cheren would _murder _me," Black groaned.

"Not _her_."

"If it's not Bianca then —" Black's jaw dropped. His eye started to twitch with terror. "No. Holy shit. _No_. Don't you know what incest is?"

"Of course I know what incest is!" N shouted.

"White's my _twin_," Black forcefully said. "You know that, don't you?"

N muttered something incomprehensible.

"What was that?"

"I said," N almost shouted, "that I know that _now_."

Black shuddered.

N sat down beside Black on the bed. His head drooped onto Black's shoulder and, like it physically pained him, he muttered, "Sorry."

Black awkwardly wrapped an arm around N's shoulder. It didn't seem to be enough, so he quietly said, "You're my favourite."

N's hand curled around Black's as he replied, "I know."

For someone who knew, N's grip was very tight.

"…seriously though, doesn't White look _just like me_?" Black wondered.

N dug his fingernails into Black's palm.

"Ow!" Black jerked away.

"I don't want them to come here, and if they do I don't want to have to be around them," N suddenly started to rant. "_However_, if you were to leave they would surely follow, if their intent is really to protect you even if you have already proven yourself more than capable on numerous occasions so I find that notion ridiculous, but I will freely admit that your friends are ridiculous people."

"Won't deny it," Black quickly interjected.

"If I were to leave your company, you would simply follow me as has already been established, which would mean they would, by extension, also follow me. While the situation is neither desirable nor ideal," N paused for a moment like Black might laugh, "I have decided we'll wait for them and make them get over whatever their problem is rather than avoid them, to save time and energy."

"Thanks," Black said.

"In return," N continued, slightly louder, "you and I are going to go on another date."

Black felt oddly giddy. "Okay."

N nodded authoritatively. "Then it's settled. Though I'm pretty sure there's no Ferris wheels in Goldenrod."

"There's not, but it's not like that's a necessary part of —" Black gasped. _Another_. _Ferris wheel_. Something weird was going on in N's mind again. "Wait, that time, on the Ferris wheel — that was a _date_?"

N glared. "Of course it was."

"You said we were looking for the Plasma Grunts!"

"That was a pretence," N sighed. "The book said to always have a pretence. A little like yourself and Reshiram."

Black had to wonder what it said about him when someone who learned social skills from books could see through his lies.

"Um. Okay. You got me," Black lamely said. "But, um, dates don't have to involve Ferris wheels. Or even going outside. Or anything in particular at all, actually."

"Sure," N sceptically said. "Have you spoken to a female in your life?"

"Twin sister, remember? Twin _sister_. As in _girl_. As in _female_. As in _yes_."

N rolled his eyes.

"Where did you even learn this stuff?" Black demanded. "I thought you grew up with just pokémon."

"I'm not an idiot. I did learn something of social customs prior to leaving the castle for my journey."

Black would have expressed some doubt over the success of that project if he hadn't been feeling perhaps even more socially awkward than N. How _did_ dates work? There weren't really many pickings in a tiny town where everybody was either your sister or aggressively off limits.

"Admittedly, I did learn some things wrong, but that wasn't my fault so much as Ghetsis' deliberate attempts to foil me," N mused, more to himself than to Black. "I didn't know skirts and dresses were only for women until a few months ago. I don't quite understand why that is the case, but I find comfort in knowing nobody else does either. Unfortunately that seems to be the case with most social conventions, so I hope you understand that that is a reason why they are so difficult to learn."

"Um, sure." Black was more preoccupied with trying not to picture N in drag. "So, whaddaya wanna do?"

"What do you want to do," N corrected. "This isn't Nuvema. Speak properly."

"If I'm supposed to speak properly for Goldenrod, doesn't that mean I should be all loud and 'why in the heck'?" Black wondered.

N slowly shook his head.

Jokes, especially jokes based on social stereotypes, were wasted on N. Black wondered if there were any scientists who studied humans rather than Pokémon, and if so, how eager they would be to examine N.

"How about we just wander around tomorrow and do whatever you want?" Black suggested.

"That's what we normally do," N pointed out.

"Does that mean every day's a date?" Black wondered.

N frowned. "I don't know… I'm pretty sure dates are supposed to involve Ferris wheels."

Black laughed. "We suck at this. Maybe we should just make it up."

N stared at Black for a long moment. "Is that legal?"

Black shrugged.

"Okay," N slowly said. "Then tomorrow we will make it up as we go and avoid your twin sister and friends for as long as possible."

"Sure," Black replied.

"Then, goodnight." N stood up and climbed to the top bunk.

Suddenly, Black's bed suddenly felt far too large.

By the time Black woke up, N had decided he wanted to go see the magnet train because (_blah blah magnets are all about balance and energy or whatever blah blah science blah blah elegant equations still exist even if mine was wrong blah blah if you really loved me you'd buy me a Magnet Pass even though I've got more money than you blah blah_) it was relevant to his interests.

Black was more interested in watching the landscape fly by as they raced to Saffron than the scientific explanation as to why the train was so fast. It was amazing that a trip taking weeks on foot could take a mere hour thanks to whatever N was on about.

"Are we getting off at Saffron or what?" Black asked during an appropriate pause in the science-rant.

"Yes," N replied. "I suppose I'm to consider new clothes to go with my hair. R would want it to be so."

Black stared in horror. Did that mean Ghetsis had had enough children to fill the alphabet? It did, didn't it? And there Black was thinking 'N' was just short for 'name', or the first thing Ghetsis saw when asked for his child's name. N had dozen of siblings somewhere!

"Where is R, then?" Black quickly asked. "Should we go find her?"

"Him," N corrected. "I don't know where he is. I met him shortly before I met you. He took away my cape."

"You… what?" Black shook his head to clear it. "I don't think it matters. Your clothes are fine. And. Um. Yeah." Black didn't want to hear N scientifically dissecting clothes.

"My hair's different," N said.

"I know. But it's still the same… colour. So it doesn't matter."

N pondered for a long time. He was still pondering when they stepped off the train and onto the platform, but seemed to have recovered by the time they were walking aimlessly in the direction of Sabrina's Gym.

"Yes," N suddenly said. "Yes, it is the colours that are important."

Black caught himself before he sighed in relief. "You battled Sabrina, didn't you?"

N proudly displayed the Marsh Badge. "It didn't take much effort. Her strategy could use much work."

Black took out his own. "I know."

N stared at it for a moment. "Why did you battle her? Do you need more qualifications as a Trainer?"

"Actually, whenever I asked a Gym Leader if they'd seen you, they said they wouldn't tell me until I defeated them," Black smoothly replied. "Plus, I grew up idolising Red — you know who Red is, right?"

"_Yes_," N impatiently sighed. "I wasn't raised completely separated from humans, otherwise I wouldn't be able to talk."

As N glared and Black started to wonder what the hell he'd done wrong _this_ time, the door to Sabrina's Gym opened. A middle-aged man with thinning spiky red hair and a cape that somehow billowed despite the lack of wind emerged, glanced them up and down and smiled.

"I know who you are," he said. "My protégé mentioned two Masters of Dragons from Unova when last we met."

Black's jaw dropped.

"My name is Lance," he majestically said, "and I am also a Master of Dragons."

"C-cool," Black managed to splutter. "I've. Um. I've heard of you."

"I haven't," N dismissively said. "I also will not show you Zekrom."

"Tease!" Lance cried. "Yes, Silver did warn me about you, yes… but I will convince you yet!" He threw his cape back theatrically as he called out a dragonite. "We will meet again, Dragon Masters of Unova!"

Black stared as the dragonite flew Lance away.

"Lance called you a tease," he said slowly.

"I have heard of him," N said grimly. "Green Oak said he's a paedophile."

Black choked on air.

"Let's go back to Goldenrod," N calmly said. "Your sister may be waiting."

"Y-yeah," Black sighed. "That'll be fun."

* * *

><p><em>Oh Lance. Why are you so easy to make fun of? (Bonus points to anybody who heard 'tease!' in Voldemort from AVPM's voice.)<em>

_Look, I did interfictuality! 'R' is a reference to another one of my pokéfics, Pokédivalicious. It is also foreshadowing of the diva to come._

_It's finals for me from next week, so I'm afraid I'll be rather busy until the 5__th__ of November (easy date to remember). I'll still be working on fanfics in my down time, but A) I'm scared of getting carried away with a plotty fic and not studying enough and B) I tend to be in a very high school drama mood during exams and for the week afterwards. Seriously, I watch the entire series of Charmed almost every time I have an exam. It's ridiculous. I don't want Charmed tropes ruining this fic. (Although, a Pokémon/Charmed crossover… the Dex Holders as the chosen witches and the evil teams as the demons… Giovanni the Source of All Evil… NO, NOT HAPPENING. SHUT UP SELF.)_

_So I'm setting my next update for around the 13__th__ of November (and hoping to watch a bunch of flashy musicals and Disney movies/TV series during the post-exam blues). There's a very high chance I'll update before then, but, either way, I promise things will be much faster after that! THIS FIC WILL BE DONE BY NEW YEAR'S (I hope)._


	7. GOLD MASK OF DEATH

_Oh, you lovely, lovely patient people. How I adore you all. I'm done with school and I think I did pretty well on my exams, and thus should be able to get this story done by Christmas. I know how genuine promises of things completed 'by Christmas' have proven to be throughout history, but I mean it!_

_By the way, this chapter title is in no way relevant. I didn't know what to call the chapter, so I asked a friend who isn't at all involved in this fandom and has never read this fic. Good way to get a title, eh.  
><em>

_Time for some replies. Some of you don't have PMs enabled, so yeah. C:_

_Retse: I'm honoured, and hope you continue to enjoy this story._

_RolfeDOL: AND I LOVE YOU TOO._

_You've waited long enough. I'll save my ranting._

* * *

><p>By the time they reached the Pokémon Centre, N had run out of gems of wisdom from Green Oak about everybody involved with the Indigo League.<p>

"He really didn't say anything about Red?" Black asked for the umpteenth time. When N shook his head irritably, Black added, "He said to me that Red likes snow. That's why he lives on Mt Silver. I thought it was something to do with Team Rocket."

"I bet I could beat Red," N muttered.

Black rolled his eyes.

"I could," N insisted. "I have a wider coverage of Type Advantage Theory in my current party."

"There's more to battles than that."

N shrugged. "I could still beat him."

Black desperately wanted to point out that _he_ had beaten N, but didn't particularly feel like listening to a bitch fit. It had, after all, been quite a progressive day for N; he'd actually _apologised_ for one thing, and he'd spoken about his feelings for another. Black couldn't expect to such milestones everyday, and he couldn't push his luck _and_ expect N to treat his friends with a certain amount of decency.

When they returned to the Goldenrod Pokémon Centre, the nurse called them over and said, "Your sister and her friends are waiting for you in your room."

"…oh," Black said. "Um, thanks."

N scowled.

"I didn't think they'd get here so soon, all right?" Black whispered as they walked down the hallway. "We'll just have to put up with it."

"Fine," N growled. He stopped outside the door numbered 18 and glared like it had caused him some personal dishonour.

Black took a deep breath and opened the door. White and Bianca were sitting side by side on the bottom bunk, Cheren in a chair opposite them. There were noticeable bags under their eyes. All three glanced up at him, down to his hand in N's, away to smirk at each other, then back to Black.

"Hi Black, hi N," White cheerfully said. "Hope you weren't expecting alone time after your date to —"

"_Hilda_," Black hissed.

White kept smiling.

"Hi Cheren, hi Bianca," Black sighed. "Good to see you, but we can't _all_ sleep in here, so you should get your own room."

"Aww, but we just got here," White whined. "I missed you sooo much, I don't think I'll be able to leave you alone for a minute."

Black gestured to the door. "Get out. Go get some sleep."

Black didn't even need to hear what Cheren muttered to White to know what it was and respond accordingly:

"You're a dick Cheren."

N glanced from Black to Cheren, who he studied for a few seconds, then back to Black. "I don't think he's a dick," N said.

Cheren only had half a second to look smug before N concluded:

"He's not nearly attractive enough."

White immediately started laughing; Bianca covered her mouth and glanced away; Cheren fumed. It was a spectacular moment, and Black had no hesitation in grinning at N.

"Awhaha, I don't care if you stole my baby brother, turned him into Plasmabait and tried to destroy the world, _it was all worth it for that_." White pointed at the look on Cheren's face and broke down laughing again.

"Get out," Black said again. "Go find your own room."

White kept laughing. Cheren kept glaring. N kept glaring at them both. Bianca, ever the wonderful kind goddess of mercy, stood up and cleared her throat.

"Come on," she said in that calmly commanding tone of hers. "We've all got a lot to deal with tomorrow, and I know how cranky you _all_ get if you don't get enough sleep."

"Bye N," White called before the door snapped shut behind them.

Black smiled at N. "Thanks."

N shrugged and matter-of-factly replied, "I like you enough to deal with them."

Black didn't know how to handle that. He knew he was handling it completely wrong when he found himself saying, "You know, you've been speaking slower."

"And you have been actually speaking," N retorted.

"You were overwhelming!" Black protested.

"Of course," N replied. "I'm not like ordinary humans."

"Sure you are," Black frowned. "You just, act differently."

N stared at Black for a long time. When Black shifted uncomfortably, he finally said, "I don't know if you are brilliant or completely insane."

That was pretty much the last thing Black wanted to hear from _N_.

The kiss, however, was very welcome. When Black started kissing back, N pulled him closer. It felt better than any kiss yet, until N suddenly pulled away.

"I'm going to bed," he said.

"Um… okay…"

N climbed up to the top bunk without another word.

Black shook his head in confusion.

* * *

><p>The next morning, they found White, Cheren and Bianca sitting around a table.<p>

"_Finally_," White sighed. "Jeez, what'd you to get up to, _hmm_?"

"Sleeping in," Black smoothly replied. He turned to Cheren and quickly pulled two PokéBalls from his bag. "Got something for you," he said, handing one to Cheren, "and for you." He tossed the other to Bianca.

"Is this what I think it is?" Bianca gasped.

"Yup."

"_Hey_," White protested. "What about me? You know, your only sibling in the whole wide world?"

"I couldn't find a pokémon good enough for you," Black quickly said.

"…good answer."

N was scowling.

Bianca stood up and quickly opened the PokéBall. The squirtle formed in an instant and cheerfully removed its Dark Sunglasses, before holding his arms open for Bianca's hug. "Ohmygodohmygodthankyou," Bianca squeed.

"Is that one of the ones from Vermillion?" N demanded.

"He liked the idea," Black retorted. "You can ask him yourself. Bianca won't mind."

N walked over to Bianca and her squirtle. Bianca held him up for N to see with a bright, dimpled grin.

"So what'd _you_ get, Cheren?" White asked.

"Nothing worth a fuss," Cheren quickly said. "Though I'm grateful all the same." He walked over to join Bianca, N and the squirtle.

"A clefairy," Black explained.

White laughed.

While N remained distracted by Bianca and her new squirtle, White pulled Black aside and whispered, "He kind of treats you like you're his bitch."

In an instant, Black realised that could apply to a number of people in his life. "Uh…"

"_N_, I mean," White sighed. "He keeps glaring at me."

"He thought we were, um, you know…"

White stared at him blankly.

"…dating."

White gasped. "Doesn't he know what incest is?"

"Apparently."

White shuddered. "How could he _not_? Wait, he realises incest isn't _okay_, right?"

"Pretty sure. He didn't know we're twins."

"Yuck. Urgh."

Black nodded.

"But seriously," White was back to a low whisper, "he acts like he _owns_ you. Like it's sooo terrible if any of us wanna talk to you."

"He decked Silver for hitting on me," Black matter-of-factly replied.

White's jaw dropped. "He… _whoa_. _Silver_ hit on you?"

Black nodded. White didn't need to know how literal the hitting was.

"That doesn't change that he acts like you're his property," White grumbled. "And don't ask 'what's wrong with that' cos there's _a lot_ wrong with that. You just don't get it cos you're a guy."

"You're the one who keeps telling me to kiss him and whatever," Black pointed out. "So now what're you telling me? To break up with him?"

White shrugged. "Not exactly. Maybe."

Black glanced over to where N sat in front of Bianca's squirtle, with his hair lop-sided from the scyther, with Cheren looking disbelieving and Bianca looking far too polite as N tried on the squirtle's Dark Sunglasses. He felt, once again, like he'd been punched in the gut. When he glanced back to White and saw her arms crossed over her chest and her jaw set in disapproval, Black felt enraged.

"No, I get it," Black growled. "You're a jealous bitch."

"_What_."

Black nodded. "That's it, isn't it? You can't stand that I'm finally better than you at something, and everybody knows it."

"That's ridi—"

"So is it that _I'm_ the hero and you're not?" Black demanded. "Cos I _really_ can't figure out where the _hell_ you get off telling me how to live my life. You're an _hour_ older, that doesn't mean you know any better than me."

White stared, completely incredulous, and slowly shook her head. "Whatever. Just… whatever. I was just trying to help, but, _whatever_."

Black immediately felt a surge of regret. "White, wait, I —"

"You should call Gold, or whoever your latest oh-so-mighty friend you wanna show off is," White coolly interrupted. "Tell him about the Shadow Triad and all that."

"White…!"

She turned and walked away, only offering him acknowledgement in a single raised finger over her shoulder.

Gold answered Black's call with great gusto and interrupted Black's explanations about who the Shadow Triad was, their significance and what they had said to him and given him every now and then with mutters of '_awesome_'. He then told Black to hold on, set the phone down, and went to loudly consult Silver. Black couldn't make out any sentences, just the odd insult, the sound of whining, lots of sighing and finally a cheer.

"Okay!" Gold shouted into the phone. "WE'RE GONNA GO TO HOENN. Fuck _yeah_."

Black thought it might have been the ringing in his ears. "To… to Hoenn?"

"That's where all the clues lead, so we're going, we have to go this is an urgent emergency and we're going. Meet you in Olivine!"

Black was starting to get the feeling that Gold was very bored with being Champion.

It took Black several minutes of pleading to get N to agree to go, but only one sentence to convince Bianca: "Ruby still lives there, you know."

"You're right, he _does_," Bianca gasped. "Think we'd meet him?"

"Well, if we're going with Gold, yeah, probably."

Since Bianca agreed, Cheren agreed (though he used the guise of the PokéDex). White, it seemed, was determined to keep Black as aware as possible that she wasn't talking to him by standing near him talking loudly to everybody else and shooting him the occasional glare.

"So it's settled," Bianca cheerfully declared. "How should we get there? Flying?"

Black started to nod. "Sounds like the best wa— whoa!"

N had grabbed his hand and started to drag Black off. "We're taking Zekrom," he loudly declared.

"Head to the Pokémon Centre," Black managed to call before N had dragged him outside. N released him to grab Zekrom's PokéBall, giving Black a prime opportunity to ask, "What was with _that_? You're not still jealous, are you?"

"No," N immediately huffed. "It would just be crime for your sister to end up on Reshiram, or that other one."

"Bianca?"

"No. The other one. Bianca's reasonably acceptable, for a typical human."

"I'm glad you made a friend."

N threw Zekrom's PokéBall into the air. The great black dragon appeared in a flash of white light, roaring widely and loudly towards the sky as though stretching and yawning. Zekrom fixed its red eyes on N and let out a gentler roar.

N roared back.

Zekrom growled and jerked its head towards Black, teeth bared far too much for Black's liking.

"Okay," Black sighed.

N climbed onto Zekrom's back and held a hand out to help Black up.

"…it's not gonna… bite me or anything, right?"

N rolled his eyes. "No, _he_ won't. Hurry up."

N not only hauled Black up, but wrapped Black's arms tightly around his waist before urging Zekrom to the air with a roar.

"I don't like your sister," N matter-of-factly said.

"Um. Okay. But Olivine's that way."

N roared something else to Zekrom before muttering, "I wasn't trying to destroy the _world_."

"I know. Not even close."

"Neither was Ghetsis," N continued, "and he's incredibly stupid, as one would have to be to _want_ to destroy the world."

"Yep." Black had a sinking suspicion that that was _exactly_ what Ghetsis would be trying to do, if he was in Hoenn.

"She said I'm a bad influence," N said, louder, "and that I treat you badly."

Black sighed heavily. He rested his head against N's back. "She said the same thing to me, and I told her to stop being a jealous bitch."

"…good."

Black smiled. "Maybe you should, too."

"Hmph."

"Our dad died when we were pretty young, so Mum was busy most of the time, and White decided she'd be the responsible one by looking after me. It didn't make much sense, since she's you know, an hour older than me, but White doesn't change her mind easily." Black hesitated before adding, "And she's better at beating people up than I am. So I just went with it."

N didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he said, "You know I don't understand your perception of family."

"Or humans in general. Yep, I know. Doesn't mean you can't _try_ and see things from different people's perspectives, or sympathise."

"…yes it does."

Black rolled his eyes. "You're not a bad influence. You're just beyond reason."

"_Hmph_."

Black sat up straighter, brushed aside several strands of ridiculously lop-sided hair and kissed the back of N's neck.

After landing, they had to wait several minutes for Cheren, then White, and finally Bianca to catch up.

"I guess we should go to the pier?" Black suggested.

White shoved past him to lead the way. Cheren raised his eyebrows and glanced at Black, who shrugged, before following.

"She's just a jealous bitch," N matter-of-factly informed him.

"Is it a habit of yours, insulting your boyfriend's friends?" Cheren demanded.

"No, though it is very easy," N replied.

Black took N's hand. "Come on."

N seemed pleased with walking hand-in-hand, and Bianca was more than prepared to glare at anybody who look at them funny. Olivine was another pretty city, with pale stone buildings and footpaths, but it seemed like every single person was a sailor leaning against a building smoking.

"There," White called, pointing to a small group of people talking to a captain (Black could tell he was a captain from his extremely large and shapely white hat).

Gold waved madly as they approached and shouted, "BLACK! HURRY UP, BLACK! COME ON I WANNA GO ALREADY!"

Black sheepishly walked around White and over to Gold and Silver, who were joined by Green and, to Black's shock, delight and overall emotionally combustion, Crystal and _Red_.

"H-hi," Black gasped. _Red_. His eyes really were red and his pikachu might as well have been made of gold, it was clearly so powerful.

Crystal now had blue hair, glasses and a mature adult scientist outfit, but _Red_. He was still wearing his trademark outfit and hat!

"Sooo that's Crys, that's Green, yeah I know you've met shut up, and that's Red," Gold quickly introduced. "That's Black, _his real name is Hilbert can you even believe that_," Black had a distinct moment of wanting to die, "and that's Nat—"

"N," N quickly said. "My name is N."

Gold snickered.

Black glanced up at N, but he seemed to be proving he could talk to people by adding, "This is Bianca, Cheren and White. They are also from Unova, but not as talented Trainers."

"Ex_cuse_ me?" Cheren snarled.

"I was Champion for a few minutes, and then Black defeated me," N explained. "It may not have been officially registered, but that makes us the two strongest Trainers in Unova."

"Except you _cheated_ and —"

"I don't care!" Gold cried. "You must be good to get this far and I want to battle _all_ of you _at the same time_."

Silver sighed and grabbed Gold by the back of his shirt to keep him from pulling out PokéBall right there and then.

"I don't know about that," the captain said. "Don't reckon the boat'd be able to take a bunch of League-level battles now, would it?"

"…aww."

"Which gives me plenty of time to check out your PokéDexes," Crystal brightly said.

"…_aww_," Gold repeated. "You're such a buzz-kill, Ly."

"You gonna go bring the boat around then, old man?" Green demanded.

"Yessir, Mister Oak. I'll get right to it."

Green scanned Black and N over. Black realised they were still holding hands, but N's tightened around his before he could pull away. Green smirked. "Not your boyfriend, eh?"

Black blushed. "That was… he wasn't _then_."

Red glanced them over, before looking away, disinterested.

This was not how Black had planned to meet his idol.

"So, wait," Crystal interrupted. "As I understand it, we're meant to be helping arrest some international criminal who may or may not be trying to destroy the world."

"That's right. His name's Ghetsis," White said. She nodded at N. "He's his father."

"That doesn't mean anything," Gold suddenly said. "Lots of people aren't anything like their fathers at all. Even if their fathers are vicious criminals."

Silver rolled his eyes. "Subtle."

"That does mean N must be key to figuring out where he would go or what he would be up to, though," Crystal pointed out.

All eyes turned expectantly to N. While the others were likely expecting some kind of hint or clue, Black was anticipating some remark like —

"No, I have great difficulty understanding the minds of the stupid, and Ghetsis is most definitely stupid."

— that.

"Besides," N added as an afterthought, "I don't believe he truly is my father."

"You both have _green_ hair," Cheren deadpanned.

"Um, it's cos these ninja guards of his gave me these," Black interrupted. He quickly pulled the Orbs from his bag and handed them to Crystal. "They're for —"

"The Creation Trio, I know," Crystal replied. "So you thought the suggestion was that Ghetsis, was it, would be going after the Weather Trio?"

Black shrugged. "That's what Gold thought."

Crystal looked surprised. "I didn't know that he _did_ think."

"Neither did I," Silver muttered.

"_Hey_!"

"It makes some sense," Cheren said, "Ghetsis did seem to like the power of the Reshiram and Zekrom mythology more than anything else, and that fits with the Hoenn myths more than Kanto or Johto ones."

"_See_," Gold said. "I told you. I think. A lot. Like that."

The captain arrived with a large, luxury yacht and called them all aboard. Black took a moment to pull N aside and ask, "Sooo, what was it that Gold was gonna introduce you as?"

"Nothing," N quickly said. "He just made a mistake."

Black smirked. "So N's a codename too, huh?"

"No, it's what I have been called for as long as I care to remember." N tugged Black's hand. "Let's get on the boat. I mightn't believe that Ghetsis is up to anything, but I do respect the people of Hoenn for being the most intelligent and respectful of pokémon in the world."

"Okay," Black grinned.

His grin fell when he spotted White and Bianca talking to Red, and Red actually talking back.

* * *

><p><em>RUBY'S IN THE NEXT CHAPTER HOLY SHIT I'M SO EXCITED I'MMA START THE NEXT CHAPTER RIGHT FUCKING NOW. <em>

_Expect chapter eight no later than the __**30**__**th**__** of November**__._


	8. Ruby's Ravishing Reunion

_I'm really sorry for the delay, but there was nothing else I could do — unless I was going to end up posting a skeleton draft of a chapter written half in Japanese. I've really been swamped with my new job, which I had to get largely due to my grandmother threatening to disown me if I continued to work as a professional writer, which isn't something that worries me personally but would affect my brothers and parents negatively in ways that would make me feel awful for the rest of time, so I did it. Now, normally I would not divulge personal details like this, but seeing as I received emails to my _business_ account actually __**threatening me**__ if I didn't update right away, yeah, I kind of got freaked out. The combination of this and my psycho-bitch Nan didn't make me want to write fics ever again for a while. Then I realised I was being a pathetic baby and drank some Earl Grey, hoping to get a stiff upper lip._

_Again. So sorry. Mai laifu just so stressu. (NOONECARESMAKEWITHTHEFIC.)_

_Let's get this happening. There's Ruby to be had._

* * *

><p>Black was glad to be able to leave N in the care of Green Oak, even if it meant Green filling N's head with more ideas about gossip equalling reality. It gave Black the opportunity to slink over to Bianca and ask in a totally not whiny way, "Why does White hate me so much?"<p>

"She doesn't hate you," Bianca insisted. "She's just angry that you called her a jealous bitch. Girls don't like being called jealous."

"I don't like her telling me to break up with N," Black retorted. "Why do _I_ have to be punished when _she's_ the one who started being an asshole first?"

Sweet, kind, caring Bianca rolled her eyes. "Cos White's the one punishing you."

"Does that mean I can punish her, too?"

Bianca shook her head. "It means you get to be grown up and deal with it until she stops being angry, then apologise."

Black huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't _want_ to be grown up."

"Then stop dating a twenty-year-old."

"Wait, _what_?" Black cried. "HOW old?"

"You didn't kno— uh, never mind," Bianca hastily said. She patted Black reassuringly on the arm. "Just repeating rumours. Totally wasn't shown his birth certificate by Looker."

Black was so flabbergasted he could only make vague gagging noises. _Twenty_. N was _four years older than him_. Or, maybe not exactly four years, months could line up weirdly. Maybe N had been born in December; then he would pretty much be nineteen. Except if he was born in December and was already twenty enough to be referred to as _twenty_ in July, he'd be turning twenty-_one_. Black definitely couldn't handle the idea of N being almost old enough to drink.

"I was wondering how you could possibly take him seriously, or you know, stand to look at him without laughing," Bianca said, snapping Black out of his shock/horror. "I guess you don't know his real name?"

Black was right back in his shock/horror. "His, his real name?"

"Aren't you worried that you don't know these things about him?" Bianca asked rather than explaining what N's real name was.

Irate, Black replied, "He's not a vegetarian and he thinks anyone who is one is stupid. He does that a lot, if you don't agree with him. He doesn't like other people being around when he plays with pokémon, _don't smirk like that_, it's because he's figuring out he's kind of weird! He just doesn't know how to handle everything. And he sleeps with his socks on. So _no_, I'm not worried that I haven't seen his birth certificate. He's exactly who he is no matter how old he is or how stupid his real name is. _So there_."

Bianca raised her eyebrows. "I was kind of meaning that it's sort of illegal for him to, uh, um, you know… _be_ with you."

"Oh." Black pondered this. "Um. Okay, I guess maybe that might worry me a little bit… maybe…" If we'd done anything actually _illegal_, Black couldn't help but bitterly think. Or had they? He wasn't entirely sure, and he definitely didn't want to ask any legal experts.

"You'll handle it," Bianca said with utmost confidence. "I mean, you did kind of take out Plasma. And you got me a squirtle. Sure you can handle this too."

"Sure you're the only one who thinks so," Black muttered, glaring at White. "Why's everything gotta be so shit now, anyway?"

Bianca sighed. "Oh, Black. Everything's changed since we started our journeys. That doesn't mean it's all bad, we're just all still getting used to it. I mean, none of us turned out to be as good as we expected — for most of us, that was that we're worse, but for you? You're better than you expected."

"I just, don't get why I'd be the Hero of Truth," Black admitted.

Bianca shrugged. "Nobody else has any trouble believing it."

Black wasn't sure exactly what to say to that.

"Just, cut White some slack, okay?" Bianca softly said. "Yeah, she's jealous, but that doesn't mean she's not legitimately worried."

"N doesn't _get_ relationships," Black muttered, "and neither do I. So we're learning together. And White's idea of a 'good relationship' isn't mine. So there."

"So tell her that instead of calling her a jealous bitch." Bianca ruffled his hair. "Honestly, the time I spend taking care of you idiots…"

"Shut _up_," Black groaned.

"Come on." Bianca leapt to her feet. "Let's go mingle with the rich, important and clearly very bored."

Gold quickly called Black over to where he was arguing with Crystal and asked, "Is ice cream inspired by Vanillish, or did Vanillish evolve to look like ice cream?"

"Uh…" Black looked to Bianca for help.

"Crystal's right," Bianca said.

Crystal smirked. "See? Pokémon are cleverer and more adaptable than we give them credit for."

"_Why_ would a Pokémon want to look like something even vegetarians _eat_?"

"To blend in to cities! Even the people from Unova agree with me, so shut up, you're wrong."

Gold opened his mouth to protest further, but having grown up with him seemed to have Crystal a sixth sense; she clapped her hand over his mouth and shoved him away and into Silver, before turning to Black and Bianca like nothing had happened.

"So, I hear you have a Legendary Dragon," Crystal said.

"Um, yeah," Black awkwardly replied. "She likes scaring people."

"Right."

"She does."

Crystal fixed Black with a stern look. "Don't you think that you ought to release it?"

Black stared for a long moment as he tried to think of a respectful way to say '_Why the fuck would I do something _that_ stupid_?'

"I don't mean to be rude, but Reshiram _chose_ for Black to catch it," Bianca replied, to a total stranger who was famous and in a position of great power, without the slightest hint of nerves. Clearly, the fierceness lessons with Elesa were paying off.

"Suicune chose me too, but I released it," Crystal replied. "Just like Gold released Ho-Oh, Silver released Lugia, Sapphire released —"

"I get the point," Black sighed. "Reshiram doesn't _want_ to leave me, though."

"It's not just about you," Crystal insisted. "Legendaries aren't like other Pokémon. They're more powerful, obviously, but they can also effect the entire world."

"Gold said a lot of those myths aren't true," Black sceptically retorted.

"And a lot of them _are_. Suicune really does purify water whenever needed. That'd be a little difficult to do from a PokéBall, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah, well, but…" Black looked at Bianca for support. To his horror, she looked worried. "Look, I give her plenty of chances, but Reshiram always comes back. She's the one who always comes back to me."

The silence lasted for fifteen awkward seconds before Crystal asked, "You know Reshiram's genderless, right? Not a 'she'?"

"Yeah, I know my own Pokémon thanks," Black growled.

"Just saying," Crystal shrugged before walking over to Silver and Gold.

Black wasn't so sure that he liked Crystal anymore. What kind of Trainer would keep a Pokémon that _wanted_ to be released? It didn't matter that Reshiram was a Legendary. She, or _it_, wanted to stay with Black, so _it_ did. Just like any of Black's other Pokémon. Yet, Black still felt guilty. What if he was deluding himself? Seeing what was ideal rather than what was true? And what if Crystal was right with what she was implying, about the world suffering without Reshiram to help keep it in order? Black couldn't figure out _how_. Maybe Reshiram went around inspiring people to become scientists and teachers?

Black wanted to talk to N, but then he remembered that N was _twenty_ and hadn't bothered mentioning, '_By the way every time we kiss it's probably a crime_'. The worst thing was, maybe White _had_ been right.

Black ended up settling for sitting against the rail hugging his audino, half-listening to Bianca talk about the Pokémon she wanted to see in Hoenn.

It took longer than Black had expected to get to Hoenn. World maps made Hoenn look so close to Johto that it had shocked him to hear it was a four hundred and fifty mile trip. When he exited the boat shed and emerged in Slateport City, the heat overwhelmed Black. The air was thick and heavy, keeping his shoulders slumped. Second, he noticed the green. There were plants all through the city, in lush, vibrant greens. He had a moment of worry about losing N in it all, but then N ran over and clung to his arm.

"What?" Black asked, trying not to sound exasperated.

"This place is very suspicious," N whispered. "I feel like I've seen it before…"

"It's also insanely hot." Black pulled at the collar of his jacket. "Lemme go?"

N shook his head. "I dreamt about this place. I can't remember exactly what I saw, but I feel like something bad is going to happen."

Black froze halfway through unzipping his jacket and looked up at N, frowning. "What're you talking about?"

"I see the future," N replied. "Didn't you realise?"

"…no. No I did not." It would probably be rude to ask why, if N could see the future, he hadn't realised what Ghetsis was really up to.

"It's never very clear, and there's never any point in fighting it," N tried to explain, but it just further convinced Black than N was completely insane. "But, there's something…"

The only conclusion Black could reach was that N experienced déjà vu so often that he had actually started believing that he really had seen everything before.

Waiting for them was a tall and lanky man dressed in red and black. If it weren't for the hat, the bizarre white pseudo-beanie hanging from a PokéBall themed headband, Black was sure he never would've recognised him as Ruby.

What was really amazing, however, was that N seemed to recognise him too. N's eyes widened and he started walking swiftly towards Ruby, who suddenly looked apprehensive rather than bored, and dragging Black along with him.

"R," N greeted. "I thought I'd never see you again."

"…aha, yeaaaah, you," Ruby lamely said. He scanned N slowly. Black felt a surge of rage at the way Ruby's eyes lingered on N's body until Ruby added, "You haven't changed your clothes."

"Not since you gave me my disguise," N said.

Ruby's eyes flickered up to N's face. "But your hair… now _that_ is absolute genius! _Where_ did you get it done?"

"A scyther in Ilex Forest did it," N proudly said.

Black facepalmed.

Ruby, however, gushed, "Absolute _genius_."

Black looked up and exchanged confused looks with Cheren, Bianca, and then White (who quickly turned away). The Kanto and Johto champions were still approaching. "Uh, how do you two know each other?" Black cautiously asked.

"I was in Unova last year," Ruby replied. "And I had to fix his clothes when we met in Accumula Town. They were simply _awful_."

Black looked at N. "That wasn't long before we met."

N shrugged. "I'm allowed to have other friends."

"…right, but I'm not…?"

Black was ignored.

"So." Ruby scanned Black over, then Cheren, then Bianca, and finally White. He nodded in approval. "I can tell you're all from Unova, from your clothes. They're not terrible. They're quite _good_. Far more glamorous than what you'd've found here ten years ago."

"Thanks?" Black wasn't sure. "I'm Black, this is Cheren, Bianca, and White."

"Pleasure to meet you," Ruby said. "I'm sure you all know perfectly well who I am, and if you don't, your life is pathetic and you need more glam in it."

Cheren blinked.

"Now then," Ruby brightly said. "As I understand it, we're looking for your," he pointed lazily at N, "father."

"Potential father," N corrected.

"You both have _green hair_," Cheren said, exasperated.

"That's not very uncommon here," Ruby said with a slight scowl. "My brutal boyfriend, her best friend has green hair. And a terrible shirt."

"Do you mean Sapphire?" White asked. "Why do you call her your boyfriend?"

With a sigh, Ruby pointed at Gold and Silver (who were arguing again) and then to Red and Green (who were standing very close to each other). "It's difficult, being the only hetero in this circle of celebs."

"Uh, hi?" Crystal said.

"Hi," Ruby replied. "So! Where should we be checking for this father of yours? What does he look like? And most important, what does he _wear_?"

"You've met him," N said. "Don't you remember? He was wearing that purple —"

"_Oh my god_," Ruby shrieked. "The one with that atrocious purple _thing_ covered in _eyes_?"

N nodded.

Ruby's nostrils flared and he growled, "Not in _my_ region."

That seemed to settle it. With a look of utmost loathing, Ruby turned away and started to stride towards the city before turning up to a path.

"R's a very passionate person," N informed Black.

"You don't say."

As N started to drag Black along after Ruby, Black wasn't sure he approved of N's taste in friends.

* * *

><p><em>...chapter still so lame;;<em>

_The time to reach Slateport from Olivine is based on the distance between Nagasaki and Kobe, the cities they're respectively based on (according to Bulbapedia). I used the land distance cos shut up assuming the speed of the boat was at least 110 kmph, which a quick Google search assured me some of them do._

…_see, I'm dedicated! (Please believe me?)_

_This isn't originally where I wanted to leave this chapter but I figured I'd better take the opportunity and just update already. Again, I'm really sorry about the delay. I was just super freaked out._

_I have a few days off work, so let's see how much I can get done. No promises about updates, except that they're coming ASAP. I want this story done._


	9. Dramatic Looks

_Merry Christmas!_

_This chapter has a lot of battles of sharp tongues and just verbal/physical abuse. So naturally it's very suited for Christmas._

…_what? Your families do that too, right?_

_Slight trigger warning for this chapter, as Black finally talks about his theory that N was sexually abused as a child. Yes, with N. Personally, I didn't find it remotely triggering, but I wouldn't want to trigger anyone! And the theory is mocked for not being part of my headcanon._

…_what? You guys do that too, right?_

* * *

><p>Ruby led them through to a path overlooked by a large, strangely shaped path made of metal.<p>

"That's the cycle road," he explained. "It's so stupid. Full of brutal gangs in ripped clothes."

"Hey! Where're we going?" Green loudly asked. He was almost running to catch up, and the sight was pretty hilarious.

"Meteor Falls," Ruby replied. "We have to fix this monstrosity as quickly as possible. Which means we're unleashing the brutal monster."

Green stared. "You mean Sapphire?"

Ruby nodded.

Green snorted. "Please. I could beat her in my sleep."

"Honey, most men don't boast about beating women in their sleep."

"Most men don't call each other _honey_," Green retorted, but the damage was done. He had been out sassed.

"Why do we need to go all the way to Meteor Falls just to get more people?" Silver asked.

"More people to battle when this is all over," Gold muttered, "duh."

Silver glared at him.

"Sapphire checks up on Kyogre all the time," Ruby replied. "She's clever like that, my brutal bo—" He suddenly stopped talking, looked to the sky, sighed and pulled an umbrella from his bag. Black stared in confusion. A quick glance around at the others showed that they were similarly confused (except for Red, who was staring at a tree and absentmindedly petting his Pikachu). Ruby held the umbrella over his head. There was a second, when Gold started to ask:

"What're —"

Then it started pissing down.

The rain was so heavy and strong it was more like being bitch-slapped a thousand times by the weather. Black started to run for cover, but almost as suddenly as it started, the rain faded.

"It's monsoon season," Ruby calmly said as he folded away his umbrella. He was smirking. The bitch was smirking. "Didn't you do your research?"

"Hoenn has the stupidest weather of all time!" Green shouted. His hair was almost flat and looked incredibly stupid.

"It'll take a while to get to Meteor Falls," Ruby loudly said. "I'm aiming for two days — no, we can't fly over a _volcano_, that's just cruel. And brutal. You bastard. So let's get moving, unless there's any questions?"

Gold's hand shot up. "Can we stop for battles?"

Ruby sent Silver a withering look. "Can't you control your mutt?"

"Hey!"

As they walked through the painful humidity the sudden downpours continued. Their only warning was Ruby suddenly opening his umbrella. It was a good thing that Hoenn was so botanically rich; there were always trees to provide cover. After the first shower had half ruined his hair, Green was particularly fast to jump for cover when Ruby even looked like he was reaching for his umbrella. It led to several occasions where Ruby had just been reaching for his PokéNav. Red, however, kept walking like nothing had changed even when it did rain.

"You're gonna get sick," Green hissed when he dashed after Red following the fourth downpour.

Red shook his head.

"Yeah, you are!"

Red shook his head again.

"Quit being like _that_, you so ARE."

It was strange that people who had been together for years still argued. Red and Green had known each other for even longer than Black and White had. Black looked over at White, who was talking animatedly with Bianca and Crystal — far too animatedly. Maybe it was self-serving to think so, but White was clearly devastated. Black knew he ought to talk to her, but he didn't know what to say. He didn't want to admit that White was, in a way, sort of right. Black didn't know N very well, and it was pretty stupid and rash to spend months chasing after someone on a whim that it would make him feel better (even if that had been White's idea in the first place).

Except, it _had_ made Black feel better. It made him feel normal again, like he was back to being the stupid teenager who had had a panic attack at the idea of leaving home. That felt like forever ago, and with everybody treating him like he was Champion or some legendary hero, it felt like he wasn't even the same person. But to N, Black was the same person he'd always been. N didn't get things about social pressures and expectations. N just thought that annoyingly good Trainer was following him around.

There was more to it than that. Black knew it. He also knew he didn't want to think about it, because if he thought too much about how N was twenty he'd do something stupid and ruin everything.

True to his word, whenever a Trainer met one of their eyes in the universal sign of 'YOU, GET YOUR BALLS OUT', Ruby would put one hand on his hip, the other in the Trainer's face and say, "Step off bitch, we're busy."

"O-oh," the Trainer would say. "Oh. Sorry, Ruby."

"That's okay, you didn't know," Ruby would say — but still with a look similar to one he'd spare the mud that ruined an outfit.

They walked up the path under the Cycling Road, which sloped far more than Black had expected, rushed through Mauville City without pausing to talk to anyone (as they ran past the Gym, the leader, a short and stout white haired man, told them a joke about magnemites and attraction that wasn't remotely funny but still laughed boomingly) and paused when they reached Verdanturf Town. Reaching the insanely green town overwhelmed Black again with the fear of N blending in to the plants and disappearing like a Kecleon. He grasped N's hand tightly. N looked at him in confusion.

"Uh, it's getting dark," Black lamely said.

"You don't need an excuse," N replied. "Sometimes I just feel like touching you too."

Black's face turned red. N didn't seem to understand what he'd said, or why it was so damn embarrassing.

"Come on!" Ruby called brightly. "Hurry up, we're not stopping yet!"

He was like a cheerleader.

They emerged from the tunnel linking Verdanturf to Rustboro to find it dark. The stars were so clear and bright they hurt Black's eyes for a minute. Once the minute had passed, he couldn't stop staring at them. N's grip on Black's hand tightened, and he guided Black over to where Ruby was standing.

"I guess we'd better stop," Ruby sighed. "Aww, I wanted to make it as far as Rustboro."

"Do you also hate sleeping outside and disturbing the Pokémon?" N asked brightly.

"Yeah, and not getting a bath," Ruby muttered.

"See," N said to Black, "R understands. He doesn't like Pokémon battles either."

"The poor Pokémon get so dirty," Ruby sighed as he started pulling lavished and very colour coordinated sleeping equipment from his bag.

"How can you _not_ like Pokémon battles?" Gold asked.

There was an awkward silence.

"Did you somehow miss the report of Whitney's traumatic experience with Team Plasma in Goldenrod?" Silver coolly asked.

"Uh… well…"

"You _signed_ it."

"Details slip my mind easily!"

"Goldenrod?" N muttered with a frown. "There were never any plans involving Goldenrod…"

Black opened his mouth to assure N that it was probably nothing, but Cheren said, "Well, they didn't tell you everything, did they?"

"I know _that_," N snapped. "But it was always limited to Unova."

Silver added, with a superior look that Black wanted to paint the ground with, "Some grunts representing the organisation cornered her and started asking about the Pokémon liberation. Said something about Legendaries being the representation of how much Pokémon hate being Trained, or some ridiculous bullshit like that. It was something like missionaries. Pretty damn messed up."

N glared. "We were acting to try and benefit Pokémon," he hissed.

"Good job there," Silver dryly replied.

To Black's surprise, N turned away. His hands were shaking, but he didn't say or do anything. How could N do that? Just a few weeks ago he would've been pouting, throwing a tantrum, yelling and screaming. Black didn't think he'd _want_ to see N acting like the world's biggest brat again, but if the alternative was N just taking it when people were assholes, Black wasn't so sure that he wanted N to change at all.

So Black punched Silver himself.

"Hey!" Gold shouted.

"Like you're one to talk," Black spat. "Your dad's _Giovanni_. Leader of _Team Rocket_. You should get it! Cut N some fucking slack!"

In reply, Silver kicked Black.

"Catfight elsewhere, _god_," Ruby groaned.

It took the combined efforts of Cheren and N to drag Black away after that. N held Black against the tunnel's cold rocky outside, making no effort to hide how pleased he was.

"You really shouldn't have done that," Cheren said.

"I really can't believe what a fucking dick that bastard is," Black growled.

"I really don't care," N said. "It was cool. The way you punched him."

N sounded oddly coy.

"I just mean that you're risking making a lot of powerful enemies," Cheren sighed. "Silver does lead the Kanto-Johto Elite Four, he's… involved, I think, with their Champion…"

Cheren stopped talking as N wrapped his arms carefully around Black's waist and rested his head on Black's shoulder. Black's heart immediately started beating faster in a way that had nothing to do with the rage that had entirely disappeared.

"It was really cool," N said.

Black met his eyes and realised how deep he was in. There was clearly no way N would let Black wander off somewhere and not follow.

Black smiled.

Cheren sighed. "It's your own grave you're digging, Black," he muttered before walking off.

When Black risked a look back at the others, Red smirked right at him, then touched his cap. Black nearly came.

N actually tried to help Black set up the tent. He made a complete mess of it, but it was still pretty awesome. They had to move closer to the others, both for safety reasons and to avoid disturbing a wider range of Pokémon (N kissed Black when he said this). They were all exhausted from a full day of travelling way too far, but Green still found the energy to tell various not-very-true anecdotes about everybody involved with the Indigo League.

"I'm gonna wait up until the others are asleep," Black murmured to N. "Reshiram's been in her PokéBall for too long. She'll get restless and force her way out soon if I don't."

N kissed Black again.

It took an hour of entertaining but mindless chatter that, even five minutes later, Black couldn't remember the point of before Ruby declared they all needed to go to bed.

"Sapphire thinks something's up too," he said with a glance at the screen of his PokéNav. "So we'd better get there soon. And we've still got a looong way to go."

"_Why_ can't we fly?" Green complained.

"Because it pissed you off, honey," Ruby sweetly replied. "Maybe you should get some decent shoes. That might help."

"As if. My shoes attract babes," Green declared.

"What," Red said. His voice was painfully normal.

"…it's not like I do anything with them!"

Red grabbed Green's hand and dragged him off to a tent. The others soon similarly filed off. Black turned his head slightly to find N was fast asleep on his shoulder. He felt bad for not noticing, but N had been being strangely quiet since the other Trainers had joined them.

"I'll help you move him."

Black was so amazing to hear White addressing him that he almost jumped.

"Thanks," he said quickly. "I appreciate it."

They didn't say anything as they carefully struggled to get N into Black's tent. Once he was adequately inside, White looked at Black and said, "Are you still mad?"

Black shook his head. "You kind of had a point."

White nodded, before staring at her feet. "You can date him if you want," she said. "I'm not trying to stop you, I just —"

"I know him," Black said, recalling his earlier conversation with Bianca. "I don't know all the basics, but, I like him, he likes me, we're learning together, to, you know, how to date and stuff, so. Yeah."

"Yeah," White echoed. "Just be careful. You did kind of punch Silver in the face because of him."

Black nodded. White didn't say anything else for a long time.

"Well, see ya tomorrow," she finally said, turning away.

"Uh, White?"

She stopped. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for, you know, worrying."

She smiled. "Yeah."

Black smiled too as he grabbed Reshiram's PokéBall and headed off through the trees. He found a large enough clearing some distance from the camp and sent Reshiram out. The white dragon stretched her wings wide and snorted crossly at him.

"Sorry," Black said. He reached over and ran his fingers down Reshiram's neck, trying to massage the kinks from it. Reshiram was soon purring. "These other Trainers, they think I should let you go free."

Reshiram looked at Black in a way that was completely superior and clearly said, '_You honestly think you're capable of keeping me captive?'_

"No," Black replied. "But I don't want to upset them. I grew up thinking they're the best people in the world. They're my inspiration for everything I am today, especially Red." He paused. "Pity they're kind of assholes."

Reshiram nuzzled her head against Black's chest. Her size combined with her strength had her almost lifting him from the ground. Black laughed. Reshiram gave noises that sounded sort of like chuckles before letting Black stand again.

"Go for a fly," he said, carefully pulling out a bent feather. "You'll know where to find me."

Reshiram nuzzled him again, but not for as long or hard enough to lift Black's toes from the ground, before spreading her wings and taking to the sky. Black watched her fly off with a sad smile. Reshiram clearly thought they were doing the right thing.

Black jumped at the sound of footsteps. He grabbed Samurott's PokéBall, but it was only Gold. The Johto Champion pressed a finger to his lips before looking up at the sky, where Reshiram was still visible.

"What, you think I should let her go immediately?" Black moodily asked. "She's free to go whenever she wants."

Gold shook his head. "Naaah."

"Then what? Revenge for Silver?"

"Not necessary," Gold replied. "If Silv wants to get you back, he will. He doesn't, though. So you're safe, which is good. Silver's revenge is the worst."

"Why wouldn't he want revenge?" Black demanded. He hesitantly lowered Samurott's Ball.

"He gets it," Gold replied. "N, I mean. Just like you said, he's Giovanni's son, he was raised by Team Rocket, it took him a long time to get the Rocket ideal from his mind, blahdiblah, he looks at N and remembers how he used to be and gets pissed off."

"So he takes it out on N?" Black asked. "That's messed up."

"Is it?" Gold looked over at Black. "I think he's saying the things he wanted to hear when he was getting over everything. Silver's kind of a jerk in his delivery. It's super effective most of the time, but it pisses people off a lot."

"I guess N didn't seem too angry," Black muttered.

Gold patted Black sympathetically on the shoulder. His gaze returned to the sky, tracking Reshiram's movements. "I never wanted to release Ho-Oh," Gold murmured. "Sometimes I think about going and catching him again. But I let him go, and he went. And the weather in Johto's been pretty great ever since I did."

"Reshiram wants to stay," Black insisted. "But as soon as she wants to go, she can."

"Best way to handle it," Gold said, pulling his hand away. "Don't cave in to the pressures. You're right, even if they're Legendary, even if they have the power to manipulate nature or change the world or whatever, they're still Pokémon."

Black nodded slowly.

"We'd better head back," Gold said. "Before Ruby comes and forces us into bed. In designer PJs."

Black was starting to think that he ought to have paid more attention to Gold as a child.

When he climbed into his tent, Black found N sitting up, wide awake.

"When did I end up in here?" he asked.

Black bit his lip. "Sorry. I should've woken you up. I know what you've been through, so it must be kind of freaky to wake up in someone's bed, but I didn't want to wake you up cos you looked damn cute and White helped me so yeah."

"What are you talking about?" N asked, raising his eyebrows.

Black zipped the tent closed, pulled off his shoes and sat down beside N. "Well, um, I…" He couldn't believe the words coming from his mouth. "I know, or, I've figured out what Ghetsis used to do to you."

N stared. "I would hope you had, as Ghetsis did tell you exactly what himself."

"Uh, no," Black quickly said. "You don't have to be ashamed. I'm here for you and, stuff like that. And, yeah, like you said, you definitely know what incest is, and I'm pretty sure you know it's wrong, but it's not your fault."

N still looked extremely confused.

"It's not," Black insisted. "It's Ghetsis'."

"I know," N slowly and clearly said. "Ghetsis is the one who raised me believing the Team Plasma ideology was truth. He conditioned me to become the Hero of Ideals. I hadn't been exposed to other environments, so I could not know how wrong he was until you showed me."

"No, not that," Black said. "I mean, that was obviously important to, but, the other stuff. You know."

N shook his head. "I don't know."

Black was starting to doubt his own theory now. "Didn't he… weren't you… but you kiss so well, and…"

"What are you talking about, Black?" N demanded. "Tell me right now."

Black took a deep breath. "Weren't you sexually abused by him?"

N stared at Black for a long time. "No," he finally said. "I don't know what gave you that impression. I rarely ever saw him, and when I did, it was always to have the importance of my success as the Hero of Ideals reiterated." N frowned. "Why would you think that?"

"I — you said, 'I definitely know what incest is', and Ghetsis — child grooming — White thought so too!"

N huffed irritably and rolled his eyes.

"Sorry," Black muttered. He felt absolutely humilitared. "It's just… it's just, there's so much I don't know about you."

"Yes," N simply said.

"There's a lot of things we need to talk about," Black said firmly. "I mean, I know a lot about you, but at the same time, I don't know anything."

"That doesn't make the slightest bit of sense," N replied.

"You're _twenty_," Black groaned.

"You're sixteen."

"More like _sex_teen," Gold's voice brightly said.

"…piss off Gold, we're having a private freak out."

"Just offering my two pyen."

They were silent until well after Gold's footsteps faded. Black looked nervously at N, who seemed more irritated than anything.

"I didn't know you were sixteen," N replied calmly. "You could have mentioned it. I thought Trainers had to be of age to travel on their own."

"No, they have to be of a _certain_ age," Black sighed. "And in Unova that age is sixteen."

"Really?" It was amazing that there was stuff N didn't know. "But sixteen is so… young."

"Don't say stuff like that," Black whined. "It makes you sound so creepy."

"I didn't know that you're sixteen."

"It still makes you sound so creepy!"

"Why am I creepy? Why aren't you creepy?"

"Cos, you're older, and it's the older one that's always held responsible."

"The idea that there's a correlation between age and responsibility and/or maturity is a social construction," N matter-of-factly said.

"Whatever! Other people are gonna find it creepy, even if I'm mature for my age."

N actually laughed.

Black growled in irritation. "I don't even know your real name!"

"I don't know yours," N retorted. "You didn't tell me. I found out from your sister."

"Well, well…" Black frowned. "Well, at least you found out!"

"_You_ didn't tell me."

"Does that really matter?" Black irritably asked.

"Did it matter when you found out from other people that I'm twenty?" N snapped.

All of a sudden, Black felt like an overwhelming jerk. "I… I guess it does. Did. But I'd still rather know."

N lay on his side. "My name is N. That's all you're going to call me, so what does it matter? I don't call you Hilbert all of a sudden."

"Well, yeah, if you did I'd —"

"And," N loudly added, "My full name isn't nearly as bad as _Hilbert_."

Black glared. N couldn't see it, but if N was as psychic as he claimed to be, he'd be able to feel it.

"Go to sleep," N ordered. "We have to travel more tomorrow."

"Tell me what your full name is," Black demanded.

"No. Go to sleep."

Black sighed in irritation, turned on his side so his back was facing N, and pulled his sleeping bag up to his ears. He was angry for about ten minutes, ten minutes of lying there stewing over everything that was said, over N being completely _right_. Then he just felt frustrated, hurt and confused. How had he been so sure just hours ago? Why did everything go to shit so quickly?

Black thought he needed to take a vow of mostly-silence, to make sure he stopped offending everybody in the world.

* * *

><p><em>OH GOD IT'S ALL SO MELODRAMATIC.<em>

_The thing with Ruby and the umbrella is based on something I'd often notice when I lived in Kyushu, the island Hoenn is based on. The locals who'd grown up there always seemed to know when it was going to rain down during the monsoon to the second, and I never had a damn clue. I wish I'd picked up how to spot it, but I didn't._

_One chapter to go! Every review encourages me to stay up half the night writing for this story._


	10. Brutal

_Last chapter. :C_

**Shades of Gray**_: Nice to see you over here, too! Ruby's my favourite. And I'm glad you love this story, cos I do too!_

**Ellyion**: _That's just, way too flattering;; Thanks! A good blush-fest is healthy now and then. Lmao yeah no kidding, but let's let N believe._

**Potions**_**: **__Legendaries are wonderful._

_HERE WE GO._

* * *

><p>N had already left the tent when Black woke up. For a moment, Black panicked. Then he remembered that he was an asshole. Black sighed heavily, climbed out of his sleeping bag, got changed and left the tent. Reshiram immediately landed beside him.<p>

"Were you flying all night?" Black asked.

Reshiram purred.

Black scratched her neck, careful not to disturb any feathers. Reshiram gently nuzzled her head against Black's chest, before returning to her Ball. It was strange; Black hadn't even had to get it out.

It was even more strange to have N pointedly ignoring him. N had been agree at him before; the so-called Ferris wheel date had to be a disaster due to N's sudden shouting at Black for not thinking Team Plasma had the best ideas of all time. N often used to shout about that. No, N being angry wasn't new, but N not vying for Black's attention definitely was.

Black honestly hated it. Not that he'd admit that to anyone. Though, maybe he ought to…

"It's even cloudier today than yesterday," Ruby said, examining the sky.

"You're not telling me there's gonna be more of that rain?" Green demanded, hand flying protectively to his hair.

Ruby shook his head. "No, it's just ash clouds. It won't rain today." He clapped his hands together and smiled. "So, who's up for some surfing?"

At this point, Black was so used to reaching for Reshiram's PokéBall that it took him a minute to find Samurott's. As he struggled, White came over and muttered, "So, how're you gonna make it up to N?"

"I just want to get this over with before I even think about that," Black whispered. No matter what he said, he always ended up thinking about how messed up it was to have come this far for N and end up losing him.

Yeah, Black really needed to learn to shut his mouth.

Meteor Falls wasn't nearly as dramatic as it sounded. It was a pretty fascinating cave, but it wasn't anywhere near as cool as Chargestone. Black wasn't entirely sure why he was thinking that instead of marvelling at the columns of stone perfectly smoothed and formed by thousands of years of water dripping, which was very different from one bursting with electricity because shut up science, but maybe it had to do with N walking nowhere near him. Maybe it had to do with how badly Black wanted to go home and just never leave his house again.

They made it halfway up a sloping rise before meeting a surprisingly small woman (she was definitely a woman, from the size of her chest, which Black was trying not to look at but it was so blatantly_ there_) with brown hair, vibrantly blue eyes and, when she opened her mouth to say, "Hi, sissy girlfriend!" Black noticed her canines were large and pointed.

"Hi brutal boyfriend," Ruby said, eyes twitching as he stared at her shorts. "Sapph. You ripped your clothes again."

Sapphire shrugged and kissed him deeply. Everybody looked awkwardly away, and that was when Black noticed the guy in his thirties with _grey_ hair. Steel grey. There had to be dye involved with that, surely.

"I'm Steven Stone," he said, shaking Black's hand. "You must be the boy from Unova investigating strange happenings."

"Yes," Black replied. He had a strange urge to start calling this man, who he now realised was the heir to a multi-billion pyen company, Steven Stoned. "So… got any to report?"

"I don't," Steven replied. "I spend a lot of my time in these caves."

"Fair enough?"

Sapphire finally broke the kiss. The introductions were brief and awkward, especially when N wouldn't look at Black. Not at all.

"So have you noticed anything strange happening?" White asked. Black was glad to have her on his side again.

Sapphire replied, "Mt Chimney's been actin' up a lot lately. Lot more than usual, I mean."

"I thought it was cloudier than usual," Ruby said vaguely. He shook his head slightly and said with more conviction, "That's a sign that Groudon is moving. Oh, she does like to make things erupt, that sassy girl."

Black stared. He wasn't sure if Ruby was talking about Groudon or himself.

"So we should go check on the orbs," Sapphire said. "I swear they were still there last time I checked."

"That was like, two weeks ago, Brute."

"Whatever." She turned to Steven. "Wanna come?"

"No," Steven said, eyes fixed on a rock. "No, you kids handle that excitement."

The guy actually thought a rock was more interesting than Legendary Pokémon. Black felt that he had to hate him on principle.

Ruby, shielding his eyes, stared up at the sky once they emerged from the cave again so quickly it made Black wonder what the point of that road trip had been. "It's still very cloudy," he apprehensively said.

"We gotta risk it," Sapphire replied. She pulled out a PokéBall and sent out a huge green Pokémon with leaves for wings and bananas growing from its neck: a Tropius. "We've gotta try flying there, guys. Mind the volcanic ash."

In the time Black casually freaked out about the idea of _flying through volcanic ash_ or even _being near a volcano spewing volcanic ash_, N had sent out a Pidgeot.

"Urgh, seriously?" Green asked bitterly. "Fine." He put away the PokéBall in his hand and pulled out another, sending out a Charizard. "Shut up," he muttered at Red.

Ignoring Green, N turned to Ruby and said, "This place where the red and blue orbs are is called Mt Pyre."

"Yeah," Ruby replied. He climbed up behind Sapphire on her Tropius. "Been reading the Hoenn guidebook, then?"

N shook his head and took to the sky.

"Your boyfriend's weird," Ruby informed Black.

"Yeah," Black replied as he sent out Reshiram. He didn't know if N was his boyfriend any more. He didn't want to think about it. Soon they'd either be tracking Ghetsis down, battling him, or Black would be proven horribly wrong. Maybe if Black was wrong, N would be so smug about it he'd forget about being angry with Black.

Maybe.

Even Reshiram was sombre. It took over an hour before they started to descend, but she didn't drop feather on any people they flew over or dive-bomb Trainers.

It just further convinced Black that some shit was indeed about to go down.

The ash cloud wasn't as disturbing as Black had expected. He kept his t-shirt pulled up over his face, his clothes were covered in ash within minutes, but it was hardly anything devastating unless you were Ruby.

They landed on the outskirts of a city Black quickly recognised as Lilycove due to Bianca's gasp of its name.

"No time for that," Ruby mournfully said. "You'll _have_ to check out the contest hall later. I can tell you're a girl of refined tastes who'll appreciate it. It's a lot like the musicals you have in Unova, but not as lame."

"That sounds amazing," Bianca dreamily said.

"I know," Ruby replied. He examined the streaks of grey on his clothes and sighed. "We don't even have time to clean up properly, do we?"

"You'd take _hours_," Sapphire replied. "Just man up and deal with it."

"Hey, yeah, c'mon, sinister plot and all!" Gold loudly said. "I wanna beat this guy's ass. Where's that place? Wherever we're going?"

Sapphire pointed at a mountain out to sea. It was an island on its own, and it was massive. The peak was shrouded in fog. "Hope you're all prepared to surf," Sapphire cheerfully said.

The sea was rough. It seemed to have it in for Black, and it seemed to be determined to kill him. Naturally, Black didn't enjoy the surf across, but his Seismitoad loved it. So that was the first positive all day, really.

It didn't stay positive for long.

As they climbed the outer section of Mt Pyre, the winds were so strong that they had Black swaying. He felt like if he stood up straight, he'd be blown off the mountain. The sea did not look inviting; Black could see the white caps on the abundance of waves. He squinted ahead to find N walking far ahead of everybody, like there was no gale force trying to push him back. N was closely followed by Red, who had one hand on his shoulder to secure Pika and seemed very interested in the flowers they were passing.

Red really was weird.

A heavy fog settled over them, and a hand grabbed Black's, but it was too small and smooth, and matched Bianca's concerned noises.

"It's fine," Cheren assured her from nearby.

Black wasn't sure how he missed his friends being so close. It made him feel pretty bad, but then again, the fog.

"Hey!" Gold shouted. "How d'ya know you're going the right way?"

"I can tell," N replied. "I can see the future."

Black's free hand met his face.

Near the peak, Black could spot two shining orbs side by side. One was sapphire blue, the other ruby red, and their light was so bright it pierced even the fog. With the orbs in sight, every step seemed easier. The wind was dying. The fog was clearing. And up ahead, Black could make out an unmistakable tall and broad shouldered figure.

It was Ghetsis, purple robes and all.

Black dropped Bianca's hand and sprinted forward, stopping at N's side. N was glaring directly at Ghetsis, who was smirking.

"I knew you would come," he said. His eye(s) flickers to Black. "Both of you."

"Let me guess, you were counting on it?" Black growled.

"No, but I will enjoy watching all hope fade from your eyes when I successfully resurrect Groudon and Kyogre specifically to destroy the world," Ghetsis grinned.

"…that's just stupid," N said.

Ghetsis' grin fell. "No it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"You're a stupid boy with no vision," Ghetsis hissed. "If I can't rule the world, then no one can."

"You're just sounding more and more stupid," N calmly said.

In that moment, Black decided he was madly in love with N and not remotely ashamed of it. He'd even introduce N to Mom.

"The Pokémon will do as I say," Ghetsis sneered. "That's what Pokémon are for. That's what they've always been for. You, you pathetic creature, have always been just like one of them."

Black had no idea what Ghetsis was on about, but he had a vague feeling that Ghetsis was calling N a tool.

"They won't do what you say," a clear voice from behind them said.

"That's right," a second agreed. "Because _we're_ their chosen Trainers."

Ruby and Sapphire had the dramatic poses down perfectly. It was the perfect blend of elegance, what with the light stances back-to-back, and brutal, what with the menacing glares they sent Ghetsis' way.

"And your clothes must be _destroyed_," Ruby hissed, very far into 'psychotic'.

Gold dashed forward, PokéBall in hand. "So, we get to battle, right? _Finally_?"

Black nodded and reached for Reshiram's PokéBall, just to reminded Ghetsis of how damn much he sucked.

"No." Silver pulled Gold back slightly. He even looked at Black without glaring. "No, you don't get to battle." He cast N a significant look.

"…you're such a buzz kill, Princess! OW NO PUNCHING!"

"I'll do this," N said. His eyes hadn't budged from Ghetsis for even a second. "Alone. It's my responsibility."

Black's mind flashed back to his own battle with Ghetsis, on top of that stupid tacky castle, with all the Dragons and brutal, full-forced attacks aiming to kill. It had been unlike any other battle, because Ghetsis was seriously fucking crazy and he really would destroy the entire world in a sulky hissy fit.

And if anybody understood that, it was N.

"Beat the shit out of him," Black murmured to N as he stepped back.

"I will," N replied.

"Come then, boy," Ghetsis sneered. He pulled out a PokéBall. "I still have a lesson to teach you about messing with my plans."

N stepped forward and pulled out a PokéBall. Black held his breath, waiting for the Balls to be thrown.

N dashed forward and punched Ghetsis in the face. The Ball fell from Ghetsis' hand, but the Pokémon inside did not emerge.

"_You_," N hissed, "are never hurting another Pokémon _again_."

"Stupid child —"

N kicked Ghetsis between the legs. He shoved Ghetsis to the ground and, with a foot on Ghetsis' chest, held him there as he opened the PokéBall still clenched in his fist. A Venasaur appeared, shook out its flower and gazed up at N.

"Hold him in place, please, Vena," N said.

"Saur," she said (Black wasn't sure how he could tell, but he could). Vines stretched from her back and coiled around Ghetsis as N walked back over to the others.

"I love you," Black immediately said.

"I know," N replied. He turned to Cheren. "Hadn't you better call Looker?"

"Oh, yes," Cheren said. He almost dropped his Xtransceiver which, given the entire design of Xtransceivers, took some talent. He stepped off to the side to make the call.

Everybody was staring at N in wonder. Well, everybody except Venasaur, who seemed to be testing how tight she could wrap the vines around Ghetsis.

"That was cool," Red finally said.

"It was totally what he deserved," White said.

Black once again found himself saying, "I love you."

N looked at him in amusement before reaching for Black's hand. "It was very much what he deserved," N agreed, looking back at White. "Just as he will deserve prison."

This remark jolted Black's memory. "Erm, we should go," he said, hand tightening around N's.

"That's right," Ghetsis called. "You're just as guilty as I am, boy!"

Vena wrapped a vine around his mouth and chuckled.

"I am not," N said.

"…aren't you travelling without a passport or visa?"

N cast Green a weary look.

"Just saying," Green insisted. "The kid's probably on to something."

"I appreciate your concern —"

"No, no, Gramps gave you that Venasaur, he'd get in trouble for aiding a fugitive. Probably. Even if he's Professor Oak."

"— however, it will be fine." N met Black's eyes. "Trust me."

Black swallowed the lump forming in his throat and nodded. "Okay. I trust you."

"Trust is a beautiful object, no?" a voice boomed from a rock. Black jumped in alarm and stared. "Ah, of course! My disguise is too fantastical." The rock started to spin and suddenly became Looker. "Hello, Black!" he cheerfully said.

"Hi…" Black sceptically replied. His hand squeezed N's. "There's Ghetsis. Tied up by the Venasaur."

Vena was, in fact, holding Ghetsis up in the air and shaking him. Black stared at N.

"My Pokémon know my feelings just as well as I know theirs," N replied. "She's doing that of her own free will."

Looker was at Vena's side in a second. He stared up at Ghetsis. "So! You thought you could avoid the law, did you?"

Ghetsis gurgled.

"A fitting replies," Looker said. He pulled out his handcuffs. Vena dropped Ghetsis. Looker slapped the cuffs on Ghetsis' wrists and hauled him to his feet. "Is there remarks you want to make?"

"…if it weren't for those meddling kids…" Ghetsis muttered darkly.

"Aha!" Looker cried. "You never would have gotten away with it, not with Agent Looker on the case."

Black exchanged looks with the other Dex Holders, all clearly wondering where the hell Agent Looker had been _during_ the crises they'd faced.

"And now, you go to prison," Looker said. He started to steer Ghetsis away. "Black and friends, I thank you for your co-operation."

"Uh, that's okay," Black said. He looked at N.

"We have concluded that N was very much a puppet in these case, especially now he has aid arrested Ghetsis, and can go free," Looker replied to the unasked question. "Thought it would be appreciated for you to keep eyes on him."

"I will," Black immediately said.

Looker nodded. "And now, farewell!"

N didn't stare after Looker. His eyes stayed locked on Black.

"Maaan, that wasn't as cool as I thought it'd be," Gold sighed.

"Makes you wonder why we all had to come," Crystal said, glaring at him.

"Adventure, Ly!" Gold cried. "Adventure! And battles!"

There was a moment of silence.

"Speaking of battles," White loudly said. "In Unova, we have these things called Triple Battles. Dunno if you've got them her—"

"_Holy shit I want one_," Gold breathed. "Right now!"

"Nuh-uh, not here," Sapphire sternly said. She pointed at a clear strip of land across from the mountain, away from Lilycove. "Down there."

They flew down from the mountain and to the route. N clung to Black the whole time on Reshiram's back, but didn't say anything.

"I want to battle that," Gold declared, pointing at Reshiram after they landed.

"Later," White said. "I wanna battle you, and so's Cheren and Bianca."

"…oh, yes," Bianca said. It was clearly the first she'd heard of the topic. "Yeah. I really do. I love Triple Battles."

"_Holy shit this is gonna be awesome_," Gold gasped. "Silv! Get over here!"

N tugged on Black's hand. Taking the hint, Black followed N until they were sitting side by side, feet dangling over the waves.

"So," Black said.

"So," N repeated, "you were right again. Ghetsis was up to something sinister."

Black shrugged. "You were too. Kind of. It's pretty hard to believe anybody'd think that was a genuinely good plan —"

"Ghetsis is a moron," N said. "I always have struggled to think on the common level, let alone the moronic."

Black smiled. "You're so cute when you're arrogant."

N glanced up at Black ready to retorted. "Oh. That was a joke, wasn't it?"

"Sure was." Black sat down beside him. "It's good that you know you're amazing. I'm not so good at, you know…"

"Talking," N said.

"Mm, that."

Black watched a flock of wingull soaring over toward Mt Pyre. Through the fog, he could see faint glistens of red and blue, side by side.

When he glanced back, Black found N watching him.

"Yeah?" Black asked.

"You love me," N said, quite matter-of-fact.

"Yup, and you know."

For a moment, N nodded. Then he sighed. "I don't understand this. I also strongly suspect what I do know is completely wrong." N hesitated for a half a second — quite a long time by N standards. "I never… you were never part of the plan so I never needed to understand how this is supposed to work but now I wish I did. But I'm quite sure that if I had learnt how to love it would have been from Plasma Grunts and they've already misled me in this matter. It does seem that they have special ideas of everything in the world."

Black couldn't help but say, "Ideal ideas."

N's eyes narrowed slightly but he nodded anyway.

"That's okay though," Black said. "I mean. Love isn't really a… constant. No, I don't mean — I mean, there's no one way of being in love or… I guess there's rules of um, what'd you call them?"

"Social constructions."

"Right. There's those, but who cares? We don't have to follow them."

N nodded slowly. Black found it extremely encouraging.

"So let's figure out our own way of being in love."

Bianca always said he'd thank her one day for making him watch chick flicks. Watching N light up like suddenly everything made enough sense to be not exactly perfect but more than good enough (or a satisfactory answer to a complicated theoretical equation), Black vowed to never doubt Bianca again.

"It's Natural Harmonia Gropius," N softly said.

"…what is?" Black asked, leaning closer.

N muttered very quickly but Black still managed to hear the words 'real name'.

"That's your real name?" Black checked. "Natural Harmonia Gropius?"

N nodded.

Black immediately snorted with laughter. He covered his mouth to try and suppress it, but the laughter just wouldn't stay inside. It burst out, and didn't stop until Black fell backwards in a pile of breathlessness and tears. Yet N kept holding Black's hand, and there was something really special about that.

"Okay," Black said, sitting up and wiping his eyes. "I'll never mention it again, N."

"Good."

They sat in silence for a moment, listening to Gold's far off shouts about the awesome that was triple battles.

"So, where to next?" Black asked. "Unless you want to explore Hoenn more. Or head back to Johto to finish getting those badges."

N shook his head. "No, I'm bored with badges. They're too easy to win. Hoenn is nice, but I'd rather see it after the monsoon as passed."

"Yeah," Black said. "Yeah, good point."

N glanced to the sky as he pondered. "Sinnoh. After which, I think it would be nice to see how Unova is doing."

There was a slight tremble to N's hand, so Black wrapped his own around it.

"Anywhere you want," Black said with a smile, "you know I'll follow."

* * *

><p><em>-cue 'ENDING ~To Their Respective Futures~' theme-<em>

_Well, I tried to write Ghetsis but he turned out more of a strangely over-the-top caricature. This probably says a lot about how little I think of Gaycheese. His speeches are just weird, man._

_Anyway. Hope you enjoyed this bizarre little fic. It's been a rougher ride than I anticipated, and taken much longer than expected, but it was fun. And I want to thank everybody who favourited, everybody who alerted, and most of all, everybody who reviewed. Your support meant so much more than I can say._

_If you want more of my strange fic writings, I suggest you take yourself over to my odd Harry Potter/Pokémon crossover/parody/thing, _Red Potter_. That shit's about to get so Isshushipping. I've got a few other projects, but they won't be up for a while. Alas._

_Most of all, I just want to say thank you! You folk have been wonderfully kind to me, and extremely patient._

_I love you. (Now review. If you want to.)_


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